The Lover, The Friend and The Foe
by toavoidconversation
Summary: 10/OC: The Doctor takes Lucie Pagliari to a secret room in the TARDIS, in order to tell her of his feelings for her, unknowingly triggering an old prophecy. The Doctor, Lucie and Rose race against time to prevent their own destruction, to find the foe...
1. Surprises

_Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic, really hope you'll read and enjoy, don't forget to review, any comments welcome!_

**A/N: now normally I'm not a fan of OC stories, but this one has been knocking about in my head for a while so...here it is :)**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. If I did I would have made David Tennant sign an infinite contract so he had to stay forever.

**Warning: **M rated just in case, may contain mature themes later on, if you don't like, don't read.

_Anyways, on with the story..._

Chapter 1

"Come here," he said softly. "Let me show you something..." With a tentative smile he held out his hand to me. I looked at it for a moment, before smiling back and taking hold of it. The Doctor had a firm grasp, but not so hard that it hurt; just enough to make you feel like no harm will come to you when your hand is in his.

He led me through the vast corridors of the TARDIS, past doors I had never seen before, and past others that I had. The cavernous wardrobe, where I had earlier picked out my oversized tartan shirt and leggings, was one of the later rooms we came across. Instead of walking past this one, the Doctor led me through it, past the rows of clothes.

"Not many people know there's a way through here..." he said, sotto voce, a soft smile playing over his boyish features. "I think we'll be...quite undisturbed here." his smile turned into the fully-fledged grin that I had grown accustomed to, his hazel-flecked brown eyes dancing. Still rather bemused by the whole situation, I followed him further into the room, unsure as to why we needed to be undisturbed.

We stepped through an archway covered by a thick beaded curtain into a corridor which seemed almost detached from the rest of the ship; if I hadn't still felt the vibrations of the TARDIS breathing, I might have believed that we had been transported to a whole new place altogether. The corridor had floors carpeted in deep red velvet, and wooden panelling on the wall and the whole place was lightly fragranced with...was it vanilla? There were two solid wooden doors, one either side of the corridor, and each had fascinating symbols carved into them. I could only assume they were Gallifreyan, the lost language of the Time Lords.

I was still marvelling at the sudden transition from the other part of the TARDIS, that at first I didn't realise the Doctor was speaking.

"Not even Rose knows about this place..." he was saying. That surprised me a bit. I had only been travelling with the two of them for-well, to me it seemed like a few months, but I suppose in a time machine you can't really tell. But I had still noticed the obvious bond of deep friendship between the two of them, the type of bond that can only really establish itself when you have faced life-threatening situations with that person and lived to give them a huge bear bug afterwards.

"She doesn't? Then why are you showing me...?" I was confused, though definitely slightly flattered, that the Doctor had chosen to show me the secret wing in the TARDIS, but not Rose. The Doctor didn't answer for a moment, then he swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat, in line with my eyes. I tilted my head up to look at him-god, he was so tall-and I realised how close he was standing. I was about to ask if he had heard my question, and since he had his eyes closed I thought perhaps something was wrong. But just as I opened my mouth to speak, the Doctor did the most astonishing thing.

He bent down and kissed me.

A/N: well, that's it so far...what d'ya think? Review please...I'll give you cookies! :-P


	2. Realisations

_Hi guys, thank y'all for reading so far! Please review! Lovelovelove reviews :-D_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. If I did I would have gone on the show myself and made the 10th Doctor kiss me. Lots.

**Warning: **M rated just in case, may contain mature themes later on, if you don't like, don't read.

_Last time..._

_But just as I opened my mouth to speak, the Doctor did the most astonishing thing._

_He bent down and kissed me._

For a few seconds I froze in shock. Then he gently placed his hands on my shoulders and made me step back so I was pressed up against the panelled wall, his lips never leaving mine. It was a soft, sensitive type of kiss, and I felt the question behind it. It felt as natural as anything to give the Doctor the answer he so wanted; I closed my eyes and returned the kiss, smiling into his mouth against mine.

Man, he was good! His lips were sensuous and gentle, with every action carefully thought out as he tried to gauge my reaction.

I had no idea where this was all suddenly coming from, but I sure as hell wasn't complaining. From the day I first stumbled across the Doctor, that day when he and Rose saved my life and whisked me off on to the adventure of a lifetime through time and space, I had wondered what it was like to kiss those lips. Those lips that were always ready with a smile, always smoothly forming intelligent-sounding words as we wriggled ourselves out of danger, those lips that were currently coaxing my mouth open...

But that had, I assumed, always been Rose's domain. She had always given the impression that her and the Doctor had "a thing" going, and she was always very protective of him. If another woman, human or otherwise, so much as sniffed in his direction, Rose was on to them like a shot, telling them where they could go. So l naturally, I had been very careful in the way I acted around the Doctor, for fear of having my ass kicked out of the TARDIS without so much as a toothbrush and a farewell.

But Rose could never stop me from dreaming...

The first dream was after we had managed to free ourselves from he tribe of the Avalucciz in the mountain citadel of the tiny planet of Ozicco in the Meridian Peninsula right at the edge of Andromeda. Rose had been separated from the Doctor and me; the Avalucciz were under the impression that she was sacred because of her blonde hair. They escorted her off to the shrine and left me and the Doctor tied to a stake outside on the mountain. With some quick thinking and some help from the sonic screwdriver, we managed to save ourselves from being ceremonially cremated. It was the first time I had been alone with the Doctor since we first met, and the first time I had hugged him without Rose taking us in for a 'group hug'. It lasted longer than was really necessary, but I felt no inclination to let go, especially when he whispered in my ear "Oh, you, you were fantastic! Oh, well done, you!" I knew he was just being the extra-friendly person that he is, but I couldn't help the feeling I got in my belly. It felt like it was doing tiny somersaults.

And as he held my hand all the way as we searched for Rose, I realised that despite everything, I had fallen in love with the Doctor.

For purely selfish reasons I taught myself to suppress it; I knew that if Rose caught wind of my feelings, I would be bounced out before I could say "slitheen farts", and I would never see the Doctor again. She would ensure I got "lost" or "killed" on some alien planet far away, and make sure the Doctor never found me. Even if he didn't return my feelings, she couldn't take that risk. So I attempted to distance myself emotionally from him. In short, I became a very good actor.

But it did not come easy, and it was very frustrating. Every time he looked at me, I imagined what it might be like to kiss those gentle-looking lips, and to lose my fingers in his thick, messy brown hair, and to have his hands roaming all over my body...

Needless to say, I discovered that very often I found myself in my bedroom in the TARDIS trying to work off the sexual tension building up inside me. The TARDIS did its very best to accommodate my every need, by supplying my closet with all the equipment necessary for me to relieve my tension. However, even the space-and-time machine could not give me the one thing I wanted the most-the Doctor inside me. All I could do was imagine how it would feel if he held me, his lips roaming all over my burning skin, moaning lightly as I gently stroked his body...

But no amount of imagining could have prepared me for the intense sensations I was feeling now. The Doctor's hands had moved from my shoulders and one was tangled in my hair, the other caressing my waist through my shirt. I craved to have his hand on my bare skin, but I settled for reaching up on tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck and grabbing his hair, pulling his head closer to mine.

Suddenly he broke the kiss, still holding me close to him. "Lucie," he whispered hoarsely, "dammit, Lucie, I promised myself that I wouldn't...but I...I...I need..."

I couldn't believe that the Doctor, my Doctor, who had so often talked his way out of danger, was lost for words. I tilted my head back and smiled up at him.

"What was all that about? Was that why you were showing me this place?" I asked breathlessly, my heart thumping in my chest.

"I don't...I'm not...sure...I wanted to...to-privately...talk, in private.." he said, sounding confused. I figured I could take advantage of that.

"Do you...d'you regret it?"

He shook his head vigorously and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh gods, no."

I smiled. "I'd hoped not..." I said, and reached up to kiss him again. I felt him grin into my lips as he lightly touched his tongue against mine, again asking for permission. I slowly parted my lips and relished the feel of his tongue gently gliding over mine. It felt better than any of my dreams; there was no way I could replicate such a sensation on my own.

I was just getting my head around the fact that I was kissing the Doctor for real and not in another of my frustrating fantasies when all too soon, he pulled away. I couldn't help it; I pouted. "D'you regret it after all?" I asked meekly.

He chuckled softly. "Not at all. But let's not do this here..."

"But I thought you said no-one knew about this place...why not here?"

The Doctor grinned. "Because there's someplace better..."

And with that he entwined his fingers in mine and opened one of the doors.

_A/N so, what did you think? Please, pretty please review... reviews are my life source... :-)_


	3. Loving

_**A/N:** well, here we are, another chapter...hope you enjoy! Thanks so much for your reviews, it's awesome, more than I expected! :-)) I've replied to the one that I can, and those that I couldn't reply to (Sobi, dragon3mage and Shelby) thanks to you as well! Thanks as well for adding me to your Alerts!_

Big love for you all 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. If I did I would NEVER have changed the Daleks into those giant Lego...creature...things.

**Rating: **since last posting, i'm thinking about changing the rating to a T, I don't think this story is going down the graphic M rated route...i've decided to focus more on plot and less on smut, because I had a sudden idea for plot yesterday... I hope you will still like it; while there will be Doctor/Lucie action, though it will be implied rather than explicit...use your imagination, folks ;-)

_()()()()()()_

_Last time..._

_The Doctor grinned. "Because there's someplace better..."_

_And with that he entwined his fingers in mine and opened one of the doors._

_()()()()()()_

The intricately carved door swung open to reveal the most luxurious room I'd ever seen. The bedroom had high ceilings and the thickest cream carpet I had ever come across. there was a bar with high wooden stools and a pillar to one side of the room, filled with water, and had some type of small fish swimming in it.

But it was the bed that caught my attention. It was enormous, padded with the thickest duvet and topped with about a dozen cushions and pillows.

As I stood in the doorway, gaping in amazement, I was suddenly swept into the Doctor's arms as he effortlessly picked me up. I was speechless; for someone as lean as him, the Doctor was incredibly strong-i knew I wasn't light. He held me against his chest and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling at him.

"Aren't I really heavy?"

"Not really, no."

"Wow, you're strong then."

"Not really, no."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Not really-" he stopped when I glared up at him. "I mean, wait and see..." he said with a wink.

And he took me over to the colossal bed and gently set me down in the middle. Then he sat down beside me and bent over to kiss me again.

"D'you know, I could get used to this..." I murmured. His lips hovered over my face, frozen before they reached my own waiting lips.

"Pardon?" He raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"What? It's true..." I was puzzled by his reaction. "I've dreamt of this for ages, and now..."

I couldn't read the Doctor's expression. It looked like an almost tortured expression. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way...but they're right, always right, and I ignored them...stupid, stupid..." he started to mumble to himself.

"Doctor? What's wrong?" My voice seemed to pull him back from whatever painful brink he was rapidly approaching. He blinked hard once, and then smiled lop-sidedly at me, where I was still lying on the bed. "Oh," he said, "and I thought I was single-handedly corrupting an innocent girl...it seems she is asking to be seduced..."

"Naturally," I said, "I am more than willing to be seduced by someone like you...if it's good enough for Madame de Pompadour, it's good enough for me..." I said with a wink. Then I realised this was a good opportunity to ask something that had been bothering me for a while.

"Did you and Madame de Pompadour ever..." I tailed off suggestively, hoping he would catch my drift.

"Ever what?"

"You know..."

"Nope, not got a clue."

"Did you ever...you know...sleep together?" I asked, fighting a blush and kicking myself. I mean, who asks a guy about his previous sexual exploits when he is currently leaning over you as you lie on a-very comfortable-bed, and he's running a finger across your cheek? You just don't, do you?

"I'm not sure if that's any of your business is it?" He asked, not unkindly.

"I guess not, I was just curio-" he cut me off with a gentle kiss.

And this time, his hands began to wander. First lightly caressing every inch of my face, tracing my eyelids and my cheekbones, and moving slowly down towards my neck.

I followed his lead, using my own hands to investigate his neck and back. And before I knew it, the Doctor was lying beside me, as I had too often dreamed of. He deepened the kiss and his hand began to massage my breast. Gods, nothing had ever felt as good as this-he was using the lightest touch and yet it felt like I was on fire. The other hand found itself wrapped in my hair again, gently tugging it. I became lost in the kiss, so much so that I barely noticed the fact that I was becoming short of breath. I reached for the Doctor's jacket buttons, intending to undo them and relieve him of his extra layer.

"No."

I froze, dumbstruck. What did he mean, no? After all this and he was going to back out now? I was hurt, on the verge of tears. I had never felt so hurt by rejection in my whole life. I felt dirty and led on. In fact, I went from shocked to confused to hurt to furious within the space of a minute.

"What do you mean, no? How dare you! I-" I burst out. He suddenly placed a finger on my lips.

"I mean, no, we never slept together."

And of course it all slotted into place. He wasn't rejecting me, he was just being my stupid, flippant Doctor, who I couldn't ever hate.

"Thank you." I whispered to him. I continued to unbutton his jacket.

And this time he didn't try to stop me.

()()()()()()

**A/N:** So, the question is, why was the Doctor suddenly so upset that Lucie loved kissing him (though, honestly, surely no-one would complain…lol)? I can assure you there is a story, and all will be revealed in due course…;)

So...what's your verdict? I really hope I'm doing a good job, let me know by leaving reviews!

Oh, and if you think that based on what I've written in this story, I should probably keep it as M, let me know, its not going to get any more smutty than this, but I'm new to all this, and I dunno if what I've written is too mature for a T rating...would really appreciate feedback on this matter, I don't wanna get into trouble with the big guys! 3


	4. Dreaming

_**A/N: **Well, here's a new chapter...thanks to everyone who has been reading...checked my stats the other day (when I finally figured out how to do it!) and I discovered that this story has had 88 visitors and nearly 300 hits! That's more than I eveeeeerrrr imagined, and I really appreciate the reviews, it's awesome :) shout out to Sinthuja, couldn't reply to you direct, you're awesome, glad you're enjoying it ;)_

_**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. If I did I would have given Mickey Smith a much bigger role...you know he deserved it!_

_**Rating:** I haven't had a whole lot of feedback in terms of the rating, so for now I guess it will stay at M rating, for ever-so-slightly mature themes...if you have any qualms with that, let me know :)_

_Oh... and just to let you know, I haven't watched "The Impossible Planet" for ages, so I apologise if my description is a bit off._

_Enjoy! Xoxox_

()()()()()()()()

Last time...

"Thank you." I whispered to him. I continued to unbutton his jacket.

And this time he didn't try to stop me.

()()()()()()()()

After an eventful time with the Doctor, I fell asleep, naked, content, and relaxed with the Doctor's arms wrapped around me protectively, one hand lightly enveloping my stomach, and the other resting on my cheek.

While I slept, I dreamed.

I found myself in a circular room with a few metal tables around the edge. The room was a bit dirty, not unlike a mechanic's workshop back home on Earth, with smudges of oil and paint around. Turning around, I saw a spray-painted sign above some curious-looking symbols:

"WELCOME TO HELL."

I didn't understand; I had never seen this room before. Suddenly a door hissed open, and a pair of creatures walked through. They were about human height, but they had bald heads and wrinkly faces, with diagonal slitted eyes. But it was the meat-like tendrils in the place where their mouth should have been that made my breath hitch in my throat. They looked positively terrifying. One of the creatures unattached a white orb from its chest. The orb lit up, and the creature began to speak to me.

"Doctor."

I tried to say that I wasn't the Doctor, and I didn't know where he was, but I couldn't seem to make my mouth work. The alien continued to talk to me regardless.

"Doctor...healer of past, present and future...soon your own destiny will destroy you. A friend, a foe and a lover...destroyed by your own mistakes..." Their words were said in a lilting, almost hypnotising manner, but at the same time sounded oddly detached, with little emotion, rather how one would comment on the weather.

"The friend will stick by you, never let you down. A bond closer than brothers will join you. But you will be forced to part as a result of too much trust. Nothing can overcome that destiny.

"The foe will follow you, and will be destroyed thrice by you before dying for good.

"And the lover, the most dangerous of all, you will not be able to resist. Every time you touch, the desire will rip you apart...but the pursuit of this lover will destroy both you and her.

"Doctor...the last of the Time Lords...Fate is waiting on your threshold, and if you do not invite it in, the fire will consume you..."

I shuddered violently. Was this true for the Doctor? Who were these creatures, and where was I? Come to think of it, where was the Doctor?

They continued. "There is one way to change Fate. Only those who are great believers in Fate know the secret."

The alien placed his orb back on his chest, and began to turn away. No! Wasn't it going to tell me the secret? Even if this was a dream, the knowledge might still have come in useful later.

Then the door hissed open again and Rose stepped through. "Doctor!" she cried. I looked around again, and was about to pint out that the Doctor wasn't here, and ask her where the hell he is, when she threw her arms around my neck. That was odd in itself – Rose never hugged me – but the strangest thing was, I appeared to be at least a head taller than her; Rose had always been slightly shorter than me (I'm a little longer in the leg).

So why was I taller than her now? And why on Earth was she clinging to my neck, sighing "Doctor" into my chest? And why was I stroking her hair comfortingly? It didn't make sense. I looked down at her.

And I saw a brown pinstriped arm wrapped round her body.

_I was the Doctor._

My eyes snapped open and I gasped loudly. I found myself still wrapped in the Doctor's arms. I turned over to face him, and found him looking at me, concerned.

"What's the matter?" He asked worriedly.

I inhaled deeply and relaxed. "Nothing, just an odd dream...it was one of those ones that felt really real..."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, it wasn't scary or anything...actually, yeah it was, because get this; I was you!"

"Me? Oh, how terrifying!" An amused grin played upon his lips.

"Yeah, I know right?" I replied flippantly, and earned a gentle slap for my troubles. I proceeded to tell him my whole dream.

I couldn't read his expression when I had finished. "Ood." He muttered.

"You what?"

"Ood. The aliens, they're called Ood. But how..." he looked at his hand. "Oh, of course..."

"When you've quite finished mumbling to yourself about Ood or whatever, care to enlighten me?" I said, fairly huffily. I hated it when he did that.

"Oh, Lucie...that wasn't a dream. That really happened to me."

"Then how come I dreamt it?"

"My hand...my hand was on your cheek."

"And?" I couldn't see the connection.

He sighed. "Well you've seen me...well; I guess it's like reading minds to an extent."

"Yeah..."

"It can work in reverse. I can project thoughts into the minds of others. Normally I have a wall around it, I can prevent it, but I guess I was so exhausted, and the most direct path is from my hand to your head..."

It all became clear. Then I realised what he meant. "So, that means you were dreaming about it...why? When did that happen?"

He sighed. "Let's get showered and dressed, and I'll tell you after."

()()()()()()()()()()()

_A/N: So, what do you think? I apologise for the short length, but I have had loads of work to do this week back at school, and I think the next section of this story will be at least another 1000 words, and I really wanted to get this posted before the weekend..._

_As always, **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEAASSSE REVIEW! **Thanks for adding me to your Alerts, and for reading and all, but reviews would be the cherry on the top of an awesome cake! ;)_


	5. Busted

Hi everyone! Thanks for being sooooooo patient for this chapter, I know its been a long time coming, but thank you so much for coming back to read! Means a lot to me, honestly you have no idea!

As to why this chapter is late...well I have been super dooper ÜBER busy...schoolwork, university preparation, and I teach my little sister because she's homeschooled...and THEN I got attacked by plot bunnies for two other stories (well, one's a one-shot, so that's done, but still)...so, yeah. A lot going on, but I'm still gonna try and keep updating each week if I can.

Let me know what you think, I really love getting feedback :) Oh, and _zendolyn_, you are far too attentive! Guessing my entire plot line in your review! Well done, hope you stay to see how it all pans out ;)

Anyhoo, on with the story! Oh, and sorry in advance to any uber Rose fans, she comedy across as a bit of a jealous bitch in this chapter...don't get me wrong, I like Rose, but she is soooooo possessive!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, STILL don't own Doctor Who. And that's not from lack of trying, trust me.

**Chapter 5**

We redressed and the Doctor and I returned to the main control room of the TARDIS. Rose was lounged on one of the captain's chairs, flicking through an old magazine. She looked up as we walked in.

"Where have you two been? You've been gone for hours..." She eyed me suspiciously, her gaze clearly warning me to keep my hands off her man. Little did she know that a few minutes ago I had my hands all over 'her man'.

"Lucie and I had...er, something to talk about." The Doctor was pretty crap at lying. And apparently I wasn't the only one to realise.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, sure...quit bullshitting me Doctor, where've you been?" The jealousy and resent about being kept out of something was pretty obvious now. I figured even though I wasn't exactly best buds with Rose, I ought to do something to help the Doctor out, so I stepped in.

"The Doctor has been troubled by some...nightmares, and he wanted to talk to me about it. And then I suggested that we spoke to you too, you know, three heads are better than two, and all..." There, made myself sound good too there, acting like it was my idea. Score one for Lucie!

But Rose's suspicious frown didn't budge. She turned to the Doctor, completely ignoring me. Bitch.

"Doctor...what nightmare? Why did you never tell me before?"

The Doctor squirmed slightly under her accusing gaze. "I...er...I just didn't know if it was important at first..." Rose turned her glare up to 11. And the scale only goes up to 10.

"Doctor. I can tell when you're lying. I may be blonde, but I'm not stupid. And everything you have to say is important to me. Plus, how can a nightmare be unimportant when you told me that time that you can't dream?"

Ah. Busted.

I turned to the Doctor. "I think you should probably just tell her what you told me."

()()()()()()

Once the Doctor had finished telling Rose the story with the Ood, Rose was clearly struggling to decide whether she should be angry at the Doctor for keeping it from her, or worried for him. She sighed, figuring worrying was the more desirable option.

"So what does it mean, Doctor?" She asked. "And why are you suddenly worried about it now?"

I looked at the Doctor, a horrible realisation forming in my head. "Doctor...it's happening isn't it? The prophecy...it's being fulfilled..."

The Doctor gazed sadly back at me, as if he had hoped that I wouldn't reach that conclusion so fast. I was shocked at my revelation, and suddenly I realized something else. The Doctor had said earlier that he shouldn't kiss me, that it was wrong, that someone was "always right"… that someone was the Ood, and sleeping with me had somehow sealed the prophecy. Then I remembered the rest of the prophecy.

_The pursuit of this lover will destroy both you and her..._

In sleeping with me, he had pursued the lover.

And now we were both destined to be destroyed.

_Oh my God..._The Doctor must have seen something in my eyes as I put all of this information together, as he nodded slightly, sadness in his eyes.

Rose too, had figured that something was up. But she hadn't got all the way yet. "Wait...but how? How has it been fulfilled? Since you met the Ood, you've only slept with one person..."

I winced. Well, that had answered one of my questions, anyway.

Rose continued. "So, I can't see the friend or the enemy...although, the enemy could be anyone, I guess..."

The Doctor coughed awkwardly. "Rose...that time didn't really – um, count for anything – as in – I mean... we were hardly acting as lovers..." He was turning a strange shade of pink. Rose's eyes narrowed.

"What, exactly do you mean?" Her eyes shifted to where I was sitting, trying to look as if I didn't exist. "Oh. My. God." She breathed. "Doctor...you—you and _her_? When?" She seemed at a loss for words, and if looks could kill... I recognised this as a sign that that Rose was about to blow. It was my time to take my leave.

"Um, Doctor...I think you and Rose have a bit of talking to do...I'm gonna step out for a bit, I think..." Ignoring the Doctor who was desperately shaking his head, I half-waved and got out of there. But not before I heard Rose say, "Yes, Doctor, what exactly is going on? And since when did our relationship _not count for anything?"_

Ooops.

()()()()()()

Guys, I am SO SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT! But I figured I should get Rose out of the way before I did anything else... But I'll make it up to you and try and post another chapter on Friday, deal? ;)

Please R&R anyway!

Love you! xoxo


	6. Unravelling

_**A/N:**__ As I'm editing this, there is immensely thick fog covering London...literally you can't see ten feet ahead, it's horrible. I can only assume that the weather is trying to set the scene for Harry Potter 7 (part 1) coming out today! :D_

_Anyhoo..._

_Hello dear reader! Thanks so much for reading thus far, it always astounds me when I see how many people have read this story...I'm in debt to you all :) please, when you read this chapter, drop me a review to let me know what you think, even if it's just one word, it all serves to help me improve my writing!_

_A fair amount of AU coming up in this chapter and those to follow...you have been warned!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Guess what? I own Doctor Who! :D...  
...wait, I don't? Oh... sad times :(_

Chapter 6

I left the console room just as Rose was really getting into her rant. I decided to take refuge in my bedroom down the corridor. Sitting on my bed, I reflected upon the recent turn of events.

The Doctor had said that the prophecy had been fulfilled-what did that mean? I tried to break it down logically.

_The foe will follow you, and will be destroyed thrice by you before dying for good..._ I racked my brains, trying to think of an enemy that the Doctor had defeated three times. But I had not known him for that long considering how long he had been around, how could I have possibly known all of the foes the Doctor had faced? It was an impossible task. Perhaps the Doctor could shed light on that one later, though it was a wonder that even he could remember every monster he'd ever faced.

_The friend will stick by you, never let you down. A bond closer than brothers will join you. But you will be forced to part as a result of too much trust..._soon be forced to part...well that sounded like it hadn't happened yet, so the friend had to be someone who was still close to the Doctor, who hadn't left him yet. So that left Rose and me. But Rose had left him once; that time she told me about when she ended up trapped in a parallel universe, but had somehow managed to get back and stayed with him after Donna's memory had to be wiped. She kept him whole during that time; she'd told me how upset he had been to lose Donna; their friendship was anything but romantic, apparently more like a brother-sister relationship.

Wait. A brother and sister relationship. _A bond closer than brothers..._could what happened to Donna be that part of the prophecy fulfilled? How else did she fit in? _Too much trust...?_ Donna, like myself and pretty much anyone who knew the Doctor, trusted him with her life.

I mentally ticked a box on my "prophecy list".

And finally...the lover. The Doctor had already confirmed that he thought I was the lover, instead of Rose. I tried to get my head around that. I had fallen in love with the Doctor a long time ago, every time he so much as smiled at me I all but melted. But he had never hinted he felt anything but friendship towards me, but if I was the lover in the prophecy, every time the Doctor touched me, desire tore him apart... a shiver ran down my spine at that. I supposed, after he had made love to me so thoroughly only a few hours ago, could I really doubt that he was in love with me too?

But the revelation that the Doctor probably loved me back was rather overshadowed by the words of the prophecy.

_The pursuit of this lover will destroy both you and her..._well, in taking me to that secret room, and kissing me, even knowing what the consequences were, that probably counted as pursuit.

So what was our punishment going to be? I didn't really want to think about it.

Luckily I was saved from having to think about it by a light tap on my door. I knew who it was already; Rose would have just barged right in, screaming as she did so.

"Come in," I called. The Doctor eased the door open and entered the room.

"Hey," was all he said.

"Hey yourself," I smiled weakly back. Taking one look at my face, the Doctor crossed the room to my bed in two strides, before sitting next to me on the bed and scooping me into his arms. I lifted my arms around his neck, and despite trying my hardest, the tears began to fall. All of the overwhelming feelings I had had today just poured out of me; the shock, the passion, and the fear. All of it was just desperate to escape. I didn't want to feel anything right now, everything I felt led to something bad. Just as I had found the Doctor, I was going to lose him.

The Doctor held me as I cried, not saying anything, just holding me close, so close I could feel his twin hearts pounding against my cheek. It was further proof of the bond we shared that he knew I didn't want to hear how everything would be all right, when we both knew it wouldn't.

I don't remember how long we sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, each thinking our own separate thoughts. But eventually I had run out of tears, and I unburied my face from the Doctor's chest.

"Doctor..." my voice was hoarse.

The Doctor hugged me closer. "Shhhh..." he whispered. "It doesn't matter...we're gonna work it out. I've had a long chat with Rose-"

"She didn't take it well, did she?"

"Well...I don't think she could have taken it much worse..." the Doctor was clearly upset at his confrontation with Rose. "But I think she was slightly mollified by the fact that she is the friend, despite not being the lover..."

"But she's not, is she?"

"She isn't?"

"Doctor...I've been thinking about it...what about Donna?"

At her name, the Doctor's face became a mask of pure shock. "Shit. Donna fits it better than Rose...the prophecy is almost fulfilled...we're running out of time...and Rose...she's not in the prophecy, but why? After all we've been through, why isn't she a part of my destiny?"

"I don't know, but we'll sort it out, won't we?"

He nodded vigorously. "Of course we will. I'm not losing you, Lucie."

xxx

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that, it turned out a little bit more angsty than I had originally anticipated, but I promise it will lighten up soon :)

Please R&R, I'll give you cookies!

xoxox


	7. Forgiving

_Chapter 7_

**A/N: Ok, so I guess I should apologise for taking so long to update. I have been suffering from some serious writer's block for this chapter, for some reason or other it just wouldn't come to me...so I took a bit of a break from it, by writing other bits and pieces, getting the challenges out of the way, and now I can just sit down and focus on it without getting distracted (gotta keep those plot bunnies at bay). **

**I thought it might be nice to give a HUMONGOUS thank you to all of my fantastic readers, reviewers, favourite-ers and alert-ers... You have no idea how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel :D**

**Also, congratulations to MayFairy for figuring out the metacrisis reference in the prophecy...that will be referred to later on for anyone who doesn't quite get it.**

**Disclaimer: It makes me so depressed that I don't own Doctor Who... :'(**

_Last time..._

_"Well...I don't think she could have taken it much worse..." the Doctor was clearly upset at his confrontation with Rose. "But I think she was slightly mollified by the fact that she is the friend, despite not being the lover..."_

_"But she's not, is she?"_

_"She isn't?"_

_"Doctor...I've been thinking about it...what about Donna?"_

_At her name, the Doctor's face became a mask of pure shock. "Shit. Donna fits it better than Rose...the prophecy is almost fulfilled...we're running out of time...and Rose...she's not in the prophecy, but why? After all we've been through, why isn't she a part of my destiny?"_

_"I don't know, but we'll sort it out, won't we?"_

_He nodded vigorously. "Of course we will. I'm not losing you, Lucie."_

_.oOo._

Chapter Seven

The Doctor and I spent a long time in my bedroom, trying to figure out how we could get out of this mess. And what a mess it was…with the prophecy almost fulfilled, and time running out, we had to work out how to prevent the rest of the prophecy being fulfilled.

The Doctor had his "concentrating" face on, and was mentally ticking things off on his fingers. "ok," he said, "what we need to do is break it down. What exactly did it say?"

I shuddered. I could remember the exact words. I doubted I would ever forget them. I took a deep breath and began to recite:

"_Doctor...healer of past, present and future...soon your own destiny will destroy you. A friend, a foe and a lover...destroyed by your own mistakes...The friend will stick by you, never let you down. A bond closer than brothers will join you. But you will be forced to part as a result of too much trust. Nothing can overcome that destiny. The foe will follow you, and will be destroyed thrice by you before dying for good. And the lover, the most dangerous of all, you will not be able to resist. Every time you touch, the desire will rip you apart...but the pursuit of this lover will destroy both you and her. Doctor...the last of the Time Lords...Fate is waiting on your threshold, and if you do not invite it in, the fire will consume you...There is one way to change Fate. Only those who are great believers in Fate know the secret."_

The Doctor didn't look particularly pleased to hear those words again either, especially now knowing the significance of them. "Right," he began. "Let's do this step by step."

Just as he was about to take out a notebook and pen to write our ideas down, there was a light tap at the door. I looked at the Doctor, alarmed. In a TARDIS with only three people living in it, it was fairly obvious as to who was at the door. The Doctor looked at me, as confused as I was.

"Come in," I called, a tad nervously. The door opened slowly and Rose peeked her head around it.

"Can I...?" She began uncertainly.

I shrugged. "I guess...unless you're coming in to scream at me, in which case I can tell you that I really don't have the time."

Rose shook her head sheepishly. "No...I guess I ought to apologise for my behaviour earlier. I guess it's not entirely your fault..." she glanced at the Doctor. "Some things just aren't meant to be, eh?" she said with a half smile, sadly.

I couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for her. After all, she had been under the impression that her love for the Doctor had been returned, only to find that he never really thought of her in **that **way. And even now, she still loved him, knowing that nothing would ever become of it. I could almost empathise with her, after all I thought my love for the Doctor was unrequited for a long time. But at the same time, I couldn't quite shift the way she had looked at me out of my mind. It had been truly venomous.

I gently smiled at her. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you, but I think we have to move on from there..." I said, looking to the Doctor for support. He nodded emphatically, no doubt still trying to work out how he could break even more bad news to Rose.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "Besides, we could do with some help in working out the rest of the prophecy."

Rose seemed happy to have been accepted back into the team. However, I could see that she still hadn't quite got everything off her chest.

"Doctor..." she began, "give us a second? Alone?"

The Doctor was clearly unsure about leaving me alone with her. He looked at me, concerned. I nodded. "Doctor, it's fine. Give us ten minutes, yeah?"

He gently touched my temple with his forefinger, and suddenly I heard his voice in my mind. _"I'll be right outside if you need me." _I nodded again. The Doctor stood up and left, with unease in his eyes. I watched him close the door gently.

Rose turned to face me, and I could clearly see the sadness in her eyes. she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Listen, Lucie...I know that my actions earlier were quite unforgiveable."

I shook my head. "Understandable, and not unforgiveable. Not unforgettable, but I've already forgiven you."

She smiled. "Well, thanks. You're more forgiving than I think I could ever be..."

I had to say something. "I'm sorry, Rose..."

She shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't matter. I know now that the Doctor and I will never be more than just friends. We have fun together, but I don't complete him. He loves you, and chose you. I get that. I can't- I can't _force _him to love me." She took a deep breath. "Just...be good to him for me, 'kay? Look after him, love him, and keep him safe."

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat as I thought about the sacrifice that Rose was making. "Always," I whispered.

"Thanks. Because you know...if you hurt him, I'll have to kill you." She said, flashing a grin, and we both laughed lightly.

I was glad that we had managed to reach an understanding of sorts.

"Right," she said breezily. "Let's get the Doctor in here, and let's figure out this mess we've got ourselves into."

**A/N: Ok, so this was more of a filler chapter, but I really wanted to get things sorted with Rose...**

**I would love feedback on this chapter more than ever, because I really don't know if I like how this chapter turned out...let me know either way what you think. Give me criticism, I'm a big girl, I can take it :)**

**Thank you! XOXO**


	8. Options

_**A/N:** Guys. Here I am, working my little socks off to get you another chapter before you all start to hate me, and I log in to find I've only had THREE reviews for the last chapter, and this story is averaging two reviews per chapter. Which, you know, is kinda disappointing, considering the time and effort I've put into this story. If you've bothered to read it, you must have an opinion on it. So, tell me what that opinion is! Reviews are what spur me on to write. So PLEASE, when you reach the bottom of this page click the "review this chapter" button and leave me a message. Otherwise I will sink into a depressed stupor thinking that NOBODY likes my writing, and feel completely uninspired to write, and the story will never be finished. SO PLEASE REVIEW!_

_Ok. Moan over now._

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! For your troubles, a virtual cake will be winging its way over to..._

_x-Stage-STARR-x_  
_Sobi_  
_dragon3mage_  
_Shelby_  
_Sinthuja_  
_AnGelFacE S2_  
_Zendolyn_  
_MayFairy_  
_Lady Wesker_  
_smilin steph_

_I love you all! But especially x-Stage-STARR-x, MayFairy and Lady Wesker for MULTIPLE REVIEWS! *gasp* yes guys, it is possible to review more than once!_

_Oh, and one more thing…just to clear something up: this story is set after "The End of Time". The Doctor had to wipe Donna's memory and send her home, but Rose stayed with the Doctor, and on their travels they picked up Lucie. So I guess the story is rather AU, and I can say that later on the story will become extremely AU ;)_

_**Disclaimer: (cos I haven't done one for a while) look, I still don't own Doctor Who, ok? Life's a bitch.**_

**_ALSO READ MAYFAIRY'S STORY DEAFENING SILENCE! IF YOU LIKE MY STORY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS!  
http:/ www. fanfiction. net /s /6284717/1 /_**

_Right. On with the chapter now…_

Chapter 8

We decided that the main console room of the TARDIS would be a better place to discuss our problem, considering that we were, at present randomly drifting through the vortex, and someone (well the Doctor really) needed to keep an eye on things. So we ended up there, with the Doctor hovering around the controls, Rose lounging in one of the captain chairs, and me, perched on one of the railings. It was not exactly the most comfortable of seats, but the TARDIS is generally fairly short of seating in the console room, something I had pointed out to the Doctor on more than one occasion.

"Ok," The Doctor said in his most professional manner. "We have a few options."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Do we now?" She asked. "I was under the impression that the Ood's prophecy was going to be fulfilled and everyone mentioned in it would be destroyed. And if we try to stop it from being fulfilled, we'll be destroyed anyway. Unless we go to the people who...what was it? Those who are great believers in Fate? There _are_ no options, Doctor."

The Doctor shook his head, disagreeing with her. "Option Number One," he began, ticking them off his fingers. "We figure out the people mentioned in the prophecy, and we actively try and let it all be fulfilled."

"But that would be kind of stupid." I said. The Doctor flashed me a grin.

"Yes," he said, "It would. So that isn't exactly a viable option since it is basically suicide. The next option is pretty much the same. It's the option Rose presented to us: we figure out the prophecy and try and prevent it being fulfilled. Which basically means whatever foe it is, I don't attempt to stand in their way."

"_Fate is waiting on your threshold, and if you do not invite it in, the fire will consume you..._" I recited quietly. "If we do that, the consequences won't be pleasant."

The Doctor shook his head grimly and I could see the sadness in his eyes. "It's another option-that's-not-really-an-option, isn't it?" He sighed. "Okay, so Option Numero Trois...we need to find a way to reverse Fate. We need to nullify the prophecy before it's entirely fulfilled."

"So we need to find these true believers of Fate?" Rose asked. "But Doctor, we have the whole of time and space at our fingertips. How are we gonna find these true believers, out of all the people there ever was, is, and ever will be?"

That was a valid point, made in a very poetic manner by Rose Tyler. How could we even begin to think about who could believe in Fate so much that they could change it? And actually, come to think about it, that didn't even makes sense– why would people who believed in Fate want to change it? If you ran your life according to Fate, you wouldn't believe that Fate could be changed, right?.

Well, it made sense to me anyway.

The Doctor thought about Rose's point. "Damn. That's actually a fair point...okay so this will be harder than I had hoped. Any ideas, girls?"

Rose and I shook our heads in unison. Then I suddenly had a thought. All this talk of Fate reminded me of my life back home, a life that had been long since overshadowed by the excitement of my new life with the Doctor and Rose. It took me back to my A-Level Classical Civilisation class, where we learned of the Ancient World, namely the classical world, and generally just—

"Ancient Romans," I said out loud. "Like in _The Aeneid_—" the Doctor was already nodding his head in agreement, rushing round the console as he did.

"Virgil!" He exclaimed. "Oh, cracking man, Virgil, _The Aeneid _was a stroke of genius! Mostly propaganda, he was paid to make Augustus even more popular than he already was, but still, the whole story was about Aeneas, having to fulfil his fate and found Lavinium before it became Rome..."

"Exactly, and things had to happen in order for the fate to be fulfilled, like when Palinurus was killed by Neptune, because someone had to die to ensure that Aeneas and the other ex-Trojans made it to Italy...one life lost for the saviour of many—"

"—But poor Dido, she wasn't—"

"—Fated to die, so Juno had to send Iris to cut her hair to let her into the Underworld after she stabbed herself—"

"—And she did that because Aeneas left, and Aeneas left because—"

"—Mercury told him he needed to get a shifty on, because he needed to fulfil his destiny..."

"It all came down to Fate!" We finished together, triumphantly grinning at each other. The Doctor flicked a few more switches and pulled a lever.

"Ancient Rome, here we come!" He yelled excitedly. "Oh, I LOVE the Romans!"

"I don't," came Rose's voice, grumpily. To be honest I has forgotten all about her in my excitement. "The last time we met the Romans, I was drugged turned into a bloody statue by someone's hands that turned people to stone, thanks to an artificially intelligent dragon-monkey-duck thing. What was it? The GENIE?"

I didn't follow much of that. Rose must have been talking about something that had happened before I met them. The Doctor shifted uneasily.

"Yes, well," he said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "That won't happen again. Completely different place and time. Sorry about that, again."

Rose sighed in an over-theatrical manner. "I suppose I'll have to accept your apology!" She smiled to let the Doctor know she had already forgiven him. "But what the hell were you two just blathering on about? Who the hell is Virgil? And what has he got to do with anything?" She turned to me. "And how the hell do you know about it?" She said, her tone almost accusatory.

I shrugged, not taking offence at her fairly condescending manner. "A-Level Classics. We studied _The Aeneid_ as our Roman Epic."

"Is it a story or something?" She asked, curious now, and with certain level of respect in her voice. I remembered that Rose hadn't taken A-Levels.

"Yeah," I said, "I guess it is. But its really a historical myth. No-one knows if it really happened, but for the Romans it told them the story of their ancestry, and how Rome came about. Rome was fated to be the greatest city on earth. Aeneas was a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans."

"Trojan...that's like that horse, right?" Rose seemed genuinely interested, so I opened my mouth to continue, but the Doctor beat me to it.

"Ah, the Trojan Horse...now THERE was a fantastic piece of architecture for you...It was the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid 30 men inside the belly, and two in the mouth. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. Ahhh, they should have listened to Laocoön...he said not to trust the Greeks...That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greek army entered and destroyed the city of Troy..." he sighed sadly. "That was a sad day for Troy."

"You were there? You mean, it really happened?" I couldn't help but ask. He looked troubled.

"I couldn't save them..." he said. "They weren't supposed to be saved. Only Aeneas and a few others were allowed to go."

I felt so helplessly sad for the Doctor, sad that he had had to experience so much sorrow and fear in his long life. "You can't save everyone," I all but whispered. He stared into my eyes, and I found myself falling into those brown pools as I had earlier that day. I saw the resolve form as he stared.

"I can save you," he said quietly.

"Erm...Doctor?" Rose called from the other side of the console. "I think you might want to see this..."

The Doctor snapped out of his reverie and looked over to Rose. "What does the scanner say?" He asked.

"I dunno, sort of like...you know those heart monitors in hospitals...when the hearts going really fast...like that."

The Doctor sprinted round the console and grabbed the screen. "Oh no, oh no no no no no!" He shouted, flicking switches like a madman.

The TARDIS gave an almighty lurch and I toppled from my place on the railings. "Doctor, what's happening?" I yelled.

"Just hold on to something girls; this isn't going to be—" he was cut off as the TARDIS tipped sideways. I grabbed hold of the railings that I had previously been sitting on.

"Doctor! What is it?" Rose shouted over the grinding and scratching sound of the TARDIS engine.

"We're being...intercepted..." he panted. "But I can't...pick up any signals of any other technology...I don't know what's causing...it..."

"I don't think you can stop it, Doctor..." I shouted. "Let's land, and work it from there—"

"No, that's a stupid idea!" Rose protested. "What if we end up surrounded? What if something stops the TARDIS from functioning? What if—" her words were cut off as we heard and felt an almighty thud and all became still, silent except for the sounds of our heavy breathing.

"I couldn't reverse it," the Doctor said morosely. "I tried but I couldn't reverse it...and I don't know why..."

I stood up and rested a hand on his arm. "Hey," I said. "It's done now. Stop beating yourself up about it. Let's find out where the hell we are, and then figure out how to leave, yeah?" And with that, I strode to the doors. Ignoring the warning calls of Rose and the Doctor, I flung open one of the doors, not knowing what sight awaited me.

Oh. I definitely hadn't been expecting to see that.

_**A/N:** wow, longest chapter I've ever written for this story...so I best get LOADS of reviews for my efforts, m'kay?_

_Can I just say, I LOVE the Aeneid, I'm studying it at the moment for A Level Classics ( coincidence, huh? :P ) and it belongs to Virgil, I can take no credit. If you don't know the story, wikipedia have a good summary..._

_And if you're wondering what Rose is referring to when she has her rant against the Romans, I got that from "The Stone Rose" by Jacqueline Rayner, from the BBC Books Doctor Who range. Read it; or get the audio, which is read beautifully by the one and only David Tennant!_

_Also, speaking of David…_

_There is an online petition to get David Tennant to be the final runner for the 2012 London Olympic Games, just like in 'Fear Her'. How awesome would that be?_

_http : / / www . petitiononline . com / Drwh2012/_

_(take out the spaces) They have over 6000 signatures but they need more. Tell all your friends, post it in the AN part of your own story updates and spread the word! We are Doctor Who fans. We can do this! :)_

_And finally, this will probably (I say probably cos I'm not actually sure) be the last chapter before Christmas, so I'd like to wish all my readers a very happy holidays, and see you all (hopefully) in the New Year!_

_AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'M DYING TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!_

_Much Love to y'all :)_


	9. Contesca

_**REALLY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ:  
I have decided to change the title of my story, as I don't feel its current title reflects the content...I NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE VOTE ON MY POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE! LOVE Y'ALL XD**_

_Chapter 9_

_**A/N: A total of 21 reviews! *crazy happy dance* Now let's try for 30 before I next update! Thanks for putting this on Alerts and Faves, but please please PLEASE review! **_

_**AND OMG WASN'T THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL AWESOME? I won't give anything away in case you haven't seen it, but if you wish to comment on it, you are more than welcome to PM me or leave it in a review!**_

_**And if you have time once you've read and REVIEWED this, might I make a suggestion as to what you should read next? "Deafening Silence" by MayFairy is a great Doctor/OC fic, I recommend it like crazy :) **_

_**Disclaimer (cos I don't think I've done one for a while): Don't make me say it again...ok, *deep breath* IDon'tOwnDoctorWho! Ok, I've said it now *goes to corner and weeps***_

_**Hope you all had a peaceful holiday! Here's Chapter 9 for you: read, enjoy and REVIEW! :D**_

_Last time..._

_Ignoring the warning calls of Rose and the Doctor, I flung open one of the doors, not knowing what sight awaited me._

_Oh. I definitely hadn't been expecting to see that._

.oOo.

**Doctor's POV**

I could only look on in worried anticipation when Lucie strode off to open the door of the TARDIS. It didn't surprise me that she would completely ignore the scanner before rushing outside to embrace whatever she met outside those doors. It was that gung-ho attitude that had drawn me to her in the first place, well, that and her way of just taking everything in her stride, no questions asked. She reminded me of me, in a way, with her sharp mind, and her way of asking only the right questions.

And right now, as she poked her head outside the door, apparently fearless of the consequences, Lucie reminded me of myself so much I would have smiled, if I hadn't been so fearful for her well-being.

"Lucie!" I called from the console. As I made to follow her, I saw Rose give me a look.

"What?" I asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You are so into her, aren't you?" She said, not really asking a question.

"And? You jealous?" I said flippantly, before really thinking about what I'd said. I saw a glimpse of hurt flash across her face. "I mean– well, you know, whatever, forget I said that..." I stammered awkwardly.

Rose punched me lightly on the shoulder. "Chill," she said with a smile. "Though we'll see who's jealous after she gets her head eaten by an alien." She gestured towards where the TARDIS doors were slowly swinging shut, where Lucie had obviously stepped further outside.

"Lucie!" I shouted, and followed Rose as she legged it outside.

Rose and I fell out of the TARDIS and into a long tunnel, gloomy and dimly lit. It seemed as though the walls were made from some sort of stone. It was difficult to tell from the low light levels, but I had a feeling that the stone wasn't of Earth origin. Which meant that Lucie was even more vulnerable.

"Lucie!" I hissed, and as I had expected, my whisper carried its echo far along the narrow tunnel. "Lucie! Where are you?" The panic was really beginning to set in now. I couldn't lose Lucie, not after what I'd just experienced with her; mind-blowing passion and a need to have her sweet fragrance surrounding me. I longed to have her slim, petite frame locked in my arms again, my face buried in her wavy silken dark auburn hair...it had been nearly 700 years since I had felt this way about a woman, and I wasn't prepared to lose that feeling just yet.

"Took you guys long enough to get yourselves out here didn't it?" A voice said from behind me. I spun round on the spot and saw Lucie emerge from behind the TARDIS, carrying a small object in her hand.

She looked at the two of us and continued mildly, "You'd better not have been up to anything in there," she said, glancing at Rose, who rolled her eyes. Smiling, Lucie carried on, "Your parking sucks by the way, Doctor..."

"Hey!" I exclaimed indignantly. "I didn't park it, we were intercepted and we crash-landed, remember?"

She smirked at me in her oh-so-sexy way, and raised an eyebrow. "Doctor," She said, and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful her lips were when she said my name. "I was being flippant. Something you of all people should recognise..."

Rose giggled, and Lucie joined her, laughing at my expense.

"Fine, fine," I huffed. "You've had your laugh, now can we figure out where the hell we are, so we can get out of here as quickly as possible? 'Cause I don't know if you two remember, but we were on a mission..."

The girls stifled their giggles and attempted to maintain a straight face. Rose was the least successful of the two. "Your face...when...when she criticised your...parking..." she gasped between giggles. "You...are sooooooo...up yourself sometimes!" And so they both dissolved into laughter again, their laughs echoing in the tunnel.

While it was nice to see the girls getting on so well after the events earlier, and were able to laugh a bit after the tense emotions, I felt slightly disgruntled about the fact that they could have potentially alerted every being within a five-mile radius of our presence, and I told them so. Lucie and Rose sobered pretty much immediately as they realised the importance of the situation.

"So what are we going to do?" Lucie asked.

I leaned in close to her, inhaling her unique fragrance. She smelt like an exotic mixture of mango and vanilla and my extra-sensitive nose buds could also pick out the tiniest hint of chilli. Three scents that should never have worked together were perfectly blended on her skin.

I leaned in as close as I could, with the air of sharing a huge secret, and whispered, "First, my dear..." I noticed her shiver ever so slightly. "First you are going to show me what you've got in your hand."

***Lucie POV***

I looked into the Doctor's eyes as he leaned closer to me. I was completely captivated by those distinctive brown pools, which seemed almost translucent as I gazed into them. He came so close I thought that perhaps he was going to kiss me. But instead he whispered "First, my dear..." and his breath tickled my face. It smelt faintly minty and it reminded me of his heavenly taste when I had kissed him earlier. I couldn't help but shiver slightly with desire. God, I wanted him so bad.

When he continued to whisper, for a few seconds I didn't actually register what he'd said.

"First you are going to show me what you've got in your hand."

I frowned slightly. What was he talking about? What was in my hand? Who even cared? I just wanted him. He was too close for me to even think straight. I was simply overwhelmed by a mind-blowing desire for him.

"Doctor..." I whispered before I even realised that the words had left my lips.

Either he realised the effect he was having on my ability to think straight, or his back was hurting as a result of bending down to me, but the Doctor stood up straight and took a few steps back before holding out his hand, palm up. "Come on," he said encouragingly. "Show us what you've found."

I looked down at my own hand, which was clasped around something that I had forgotten. I opened my hand and passed it to the Doctor. It was a tiny wooden sculpture, intricately carved into the shape of a creature that looked somewhat like an elephant, but instead of conventional tusks ending with a sharp point, it had spherical tips at the end of each one. It was a curious looking creature.

Rose peered closely at the sculpture in the Doctor's upturned hand. She looked up at him enquiringly. "What is it, Doctor?"

The Doctor frowned slightly, his eyebrows creasing together. "I think its a pendant of some sort...see the hole just at the top, there? You could thread it onto a string or something..."

I looked closer and saw that he was right. There was a borehole the size of a pinhead through one of the ''elephant's" ears. I wondered if it was originally on a necklace or bracelet of some sort.

Suddenly the Doctor brought the pendant up to his nose and sniffed it. And so quickly I wasn't sure if I'd imagined it, his tongue darted out and gave it a quick lick.

"Ew, Doctor, you don't know where that's been..." Rose said in a slightly disgusted tone. So I hadn't imagined it then. He ignored Rose's comment and contemplated the taste for a few seconds.

"Ah," he said. "Treazona wood."

I rolled the word around my lips. "Tree-ah-zoh-nah..." I murmured.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, Mr I'm-Meant-To-Be-So-Impressive? What's Treazona wood? And, although I'm not sure I wanna know the answer, how the hell do you know what it tastes like?" She eyed the Doctor good-naturedly. He gave her a friendly punch on the arm.

"Oi, don't mock the tastebuds!" His gaze went back to the tiny sculpture in his palm, and the look in his eyes changed to one of...well, almost fear. "Treazona only grows on one planet. The one planet I didn't want to go..."

"What planet?" I asked, my voice coming out in a whisper.

"Contesca." He said, his face a mask of worry.

Suddenly we heard slow, almost sarcastic clapping from behind us.

"Congratulations, Doctor. You always were the clever one, and you figured it out in the end...now, why don't you introduce your little friends?"

.oOo.

_A/N: So, What did you think of this? I thought I'd give The Doctor's POV a go, but I don't know exactly how it turned out...the only way I'll know if it was good or crappy is if YOU, yes you, review and tell me! It only takes a few seconds..._

_Also, something I found funny, on IMDB, David Tennant's trademark is "very distinctive brown eyes". I tried to capture that distinctiveness in this chapter Lol :P_

_**And finally, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the memory of David Dubois, an avid Doctor Who fan who passed away on 5th January 2009 at the age of 17. He was always full of energy and reminded me of the Doctor with his wild ideas and love of travelling in unconventional ways. He is always in my thoughts and prayers.**_

_Now review peoples! Click that sexy button!_

V


	10. Torture

_A/N: Sorry this has taken so long, guys. Life gets in the way and some of you may be aware that I have gotten rather carried away with another of my fics, and have been updating that a lot more. The Dramione fans have been shouting louder than you guys! So you need to review harder! I cater to what my readers want, so if loads of people review this, I'll focus on updating this. if loads of people review my other story (and those Dramione fans are like, HARDCORE) I'll focus on updating that. The concept is simple, if you like, REVIEW! XD_

_Please also vote on my poll, I'm changing the title of this story, and I want you guys to have some input._

_Read, enjoy and REVIEW!_

**Chapter 10:**

_Last time..._

_Suddenly we heard slow, almost sarcastic clapping from behind us._

_"Congratulations, Doctor. You always were the clever one, and you figured it out in the end...now why don't you introduce your little friends?"_

.oOo.

I spun around slowly. Standing there was a man, flanked by two taller men dressed entirely in black and wearing dark blue helmets. Well, I had assumed they were men; they could well have been humanoid aliens, since I couldn't see their features.

The man in the middle was clearly in charge. He was somewhat shorter than his bodyguards, but he had an air of authority around him that was stifling. His hair was a dirty blonde, halfway between the blonde hair of Rose and the Doctors dark brown. His eyes oozed power and within them, I could catch flickers of...was it almost insanity? I didn't know, but his look scared me.

The Doctor stood between Rose and myself as we turned to fully face the people who had joined us. I couldn't help but notice the perverse symmetry of the arrangement; the two powerful figures of each group stood in the middle of two supporting characters. The only difference between our group and that opposite us was that the Doctor had grasped my hand, and the man before us was showing no emotional attachment to the people he had either side of him.

The Doctor spoke, and he sounded almost horrified. "But...I burned you...I made sure you couldn't come back..."

The other man raised an eyebrow. "Well, you didn't do a very good job then, did you, Doctor?"

The man spun a ring that was on his finger around with his thumb. He looked at it pointedly. "Saved me, this little beauty..."

The Doctor looked at the ring, first surprised and then dejected. "And of course, you came back here..."

Rose cleared her throat. "Sorry, Doctor?" She said quietly. "Who is he? What's the ring? What's wrong?" All of which were three valid questions that I would have liked to have asked myself, had my mouth actually been working. But for some reason, this man had left me paralysed. I could feel the power radiating off him, and it was pulsing around me like waves.

"Yes, Doctor, I believe you ought to introduce me to your friends..." the man said almost lazily. "Who am I?"

The Doctor was silent, defiance evident in his gaze.

Something in the man snapped. A furious, crazed look flashed across his face before he composed it again.

"Who am I, Doctor? Say my name, Doctor..." his voice was dangerously pleasant, which made the back of my neck prickle.

The Doctor whispered one word; "Master."

The man smiled victoriously. "That's right, Doctor...say it again, louder! Say it so these lovely ladies can hear you..."

Again, the Doctor was silent. I looked up at him, and saw his profile, the defiant set of his jaw, a tiny twitch at the corner of his eye, giving away just how tense he was.

And suddenly he was on his knees, his hands pressed into the sides of his head, and he was shouting in agony. I looked back at the man in terror, and my blood ran cold. He looked completely calm, a curious smile playing his lips.

"Aaaargh!" The Doctor moaned, and Rose bent down to embrace him gently. "Doctor? Doctor! What's wrong? What's happening?" The Doctor made no response, only continued to groan, gripping his head tightly and rocking slightly.

I looked back at the man, who was still showing no response to the man in agony before him. I couldn't help myself, I had to say something.

"What are you doing to him?" I shouted, my voice breaking. "Who are you?"

The man smirked. "The Doctor knows who I am...and as for what I'm doing, well, a mild wave of psychic energy, projected directly into the Doctor's brain...I'm told it can be quite painful."

I was stunned into silence for a few seconds. This man just spoke about the way he was torturing my Doctor in such a calm and dispassionate way...I was fuming.

"How dare you!" I hissed, somehow knowing that he would hear me over the Doctor's moans. "Stop doing this to him!"

He just smiled wider. "Not until he says my name..."

Just then the Doctor let out a terrifying groan, louder and more agonising than its predecessors.

"Say it, Doctor..." the man whispered. "Say my name..." his voice was almost hypnotic.

"MASTER!" the word ripped through the Doctor's lips and echoed the tunnel like thunder. He made one last groan and then sank to the floor, his head resting against the stone wall. The tunnel fell silent.

"There," the man said with an air of immense satisfaction. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He smiled at me and Rose, ignoring our identical looks of horror. "I am the Master," he told us simply. Then he turned to the guards. "Take them away," he told them. "I'll deal with them later."

And he turned and walked away.

One of the guards stepped forward to grab my arm. I tried to wrench it free, but he - it? - gripped it with superhuman strength. "Let go of me!" I shouted, but to no avail. If anything my arm was gripped tighter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Rose had been captured as I had been. The Doctor, curled up on the floor was being unceremoniously ignored. I begged him to wake up, but he made no indication of having heard me.

My captor reached into its pocket and pulled out a small black stick. Before I could pull away, I felt a stabbing in my neck, and everything went black.

_.oOo._

_**This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Sinthuja, who has supported this story since its birth, despite the fact that she loved Rose, and doesn't particularly like fanfiction...she is always just at the other end of the phone when I'm having my doubts about myself, and always tells it to me straight! Much love to you, m'love!**_

_A/N: I know its really short, but better than nothing, right? but I'm struggling for inspiration at the moment...I know what I want to happen, but I haven't figured out how to get there yet...I just wanted to post something to let you know that I'm not abandoning this story._

_So please review, I'd love to hear your ideas._

_Might I also suggest going to have a look at a story I'm beta reading at the moment? It's the first in a series called "The Gallifrey Choronicles" by GallifreanGirl. Theres a link on my profile to her bio. It's based around the older DW, mixed with the 10th Doctor. Have a look if you get a chance!_


	11. Separate Ways

**Chapter 11**

The Doctor awoke, groggy and a tad confused, on the floor. The floor was hard and cold, just as a floor should be, he supposed. Reaching up to run a hand through his unruly hair, he heard the telltale jangle of chains. He looked down at his wrists; sure enough, his hands were chained together.

"Well, that was inevitable," he murmured to himself. He looked around at his surroundings. There wasn't much to it; he was essentially trapped in a cave with a gate blocking the way out. He shuffled on his backside to the bars. He could see only a few metres up and down a stone tunnel, not unlike the one the TARDIS had landed in. This didn't really surprise him either; Contesca was a planet where the entire population lived underground, the atmosphere above ground was toxic when the inhabitants were exposed for more than half an hour.

The Doctor attempted to reach into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, trying to make as little noise as possible-he needed to get out and find the girls. He hoped they were alright; they probably hadn't escaped, but hopefully they weren't being treated too badly. However, he could barely navigate his hands with the chains encompassing his wrists, and even then, the tiniest movements still caused the chains to chink noisily. ''Shh, shh,'' he whispered. Then he froze. ''I just spoke to an inanimate object. '' he murmured in horror. ''I must be going crazy...''

''And now you know how it feels, Doctor, don't you?'' The Master's voice echoed down the tunnel as he approached the Doctor's cell. "Now you know, how I feel...every...single...day." He punctuated each of the last three words with another deliberate step towards the Doctor.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and jangled his chains pointedly. "I suppose my talking to chains and your drums in your head aren't quite the same types of craziness, but whatever floats your boat. I don't suppose you could let me out if these things, now we've found our common ground and all...maybe we could sit down and chat over a cup of tea...?" He attempted to sound light and airy, but it was a difficult task. All the time, questions were whirling around in his head; how did the ring resurrect the Master? What was he now planning to do? Why had he redirected the TARDIS? And where were Rose and Lucie? He longed to have them with him now; to have Rose on hand to ask all the good questions, and for her unwavering bravery, and to have Lucie by his side with her quiet resilience and her comforting gaze.

The Master's voice broke through his reverie. "Oh, wouldn't that be nice, having a nice little sit-down, doing a bit of catching up? How very...domestic," he smiled sarcastically. "But no, Doctor, that's not why you're here. Not in the least. I brought you here for a much more important reason." The Master crouched down in front of his captive, until their noses were almost touching through the bars. "You see...I need your help. Oh, and by the way, don't bother looking for your sonic- I've got it."

Then he stood up and walked away, leaving the Doctor to contemplate his words, and still no closer to escape.

* * *

Lucie woke on a hard surface, with a bright light shining in her face. Lifting a hand to try and shield her eyes, she started when she discovered that she could only lift her hand halfway up to her face before she met resistance. She tilted head and saw a thick black rope tying her wrist to whatever she was laying on. She tried lifting her other wrist, only to find the same result. The revelation that she was tied up caused sheer panic to course through her veins. She attempted to wriggle free of her bonds, but to no avail. She stopped thrashing and tried to get her bearings.

She was in a fairly small room, a room with no windows and a simple door in one corner. The only source of light was the one glaring into her eyes from above. That light was on a tall stand attached to the floor, and Lucie thought it looked like it would move rather like a lamp in the dentist.

"The dentist..." she murmured, a horrible thought forming in her mind. She twisted her head around as far as possible so she could see what she was lying on. She caught a glimpse of metal and her breath caught in her throat as her fears were confirmed; she was on a medical examination trolley - tied to a metal trolley, with a tray of tools glinting menacingly on a table above her head.

"Shit," she gasped, horrified, her mind spinning at the possibilities. Why was she tied down? What were the tools for? Where was everyone? Where was the Doctor? Was he tied up too?

"Doctor?" she whispered. "Rose?"

No answer.

"Doctor?" she tried again, a little louder. Maybe he was unconscious too, after all. But still she got no reassuring voice of the Doctor. Damn it, what had happened to all of them?

She attempted another wriggle, in case by some miracle she had imagined the bonds.

"You won't break free of them, you know," said a voice conversationally from the door. Lucie froze. The voice continued. "That cord you have around your wrists is stronger than steel rope. It's made of a polyfluorocarbourous compound which is only found in this galaxy, which I believe is a galaxy humans call 'UDFy-38135539', but is known to these people as the Phidasura Galaxy. Its 30 billion light years away from The Milky Way. You're a long way from home, Lucie Pagliari."

The Master stepped into Lucie's view and she glared at him. She had taken a fairly instant dislike to the man as soon as he started abusing the Doctor. "Save it for someone who cares. Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The Master chuckled. "Ah, full of spunk, aren't you? I can see why the Doctor was attracted to you." He said, lifting an eyebrow. "I saw a lot of you inside the Doctor's mind. He thinks of you often..." If Lucie was flattered by this, she didn't show it. She just wanted to get her answers.

"You still haven't told me who you are. How do you know the Doctor? Why did you bring us here?" she told him in a harsh tone.

"Patience, Miss Pagliari, all in good time..." The Master responded with a patronising smile. "Pagliari...that's an unusual name. Italian, perhaps?" he tilted his head to one side. Lucie had a feeling that if she wanted answers of her own, she would have to play the Master's game and answer his questions.

"Yes," she said, attempting to nod her head before remembering she was lying down as she tapped the back of her head on the hard metal surface. "Ow. Yes, my maternal grandmother was Italian, and the name dates back to when her ancestors used to repair the thatching on everybody's roofs in the village._ 'Paglia'_ means hay, or thatch." she told him, hoping that providing him with extra information would make him feel more appeased to share some information of his own. She could tell by the look in his eyes that she had the right idea. The Master nodded curiously.

"Do you speak Italian?" was his next question.

"I do."

"Say something in Italian, then," he ordered.

"What shall I say?"

He shrugged. "Anything you like."

Lucie thought for a moment before speaking. "_Sto diventando estremamente frustrato con voi. Perché non vuoi rispondere alle mie domande? Dove è il mio Dottore? E perché mi hai legato?_"

The Master laughed. "Very nice, very nice indeed...you are getting frustrated with me, hmm? Well yes, sometimes I have that effect on people, can't think why..." Lucie sighed in exasperation. The Master placed a single finger on her cheek. "All in good time, Lucie, all in good time...Your next question was why am I not answering your questions? In time, I might answer them. Now what did you say next? Ah yes, 'Where is my Doctor?' YOUR Doctor, hmm? Interesting...but yes, maybe he _is_ your Doctor? He sees you as HIS Lucie, so maybe..."

Lucie blinked. She hadn't realised she had said 'My Doctor'. It had been sheer instinct, but now she thought about it, perhaps it wasn't so odd; she loved the Doctor, and from what the Master said, the feeling was reciprocated...

She brought herself out of her reverie. "You didn't answer my question. Where is the Doctor?"

The Master smiled. "He's quite safe; don't worry your pretty little head about it. Although, your head might not be pretty much longer...which brings me to your last question. Would you repeat it? In Italian, of course."

Lucie thought back to what she had asked, her stomach sinking as she looked at the Master's scheming face. Something told her he was planning something, something nasty, and something that could hurt her.

_"E perché mi hai legato?" _she whispered.

"Ah yes, why have I tied you up?" the Master said. "You see, there is something about you, Lucie Pagliari, that interests me. When you look at me, I see something in your eyes that shows more than a person's usual reaction. You can read me, Lucie. You know how to respond to me to get the best possible reaction. People can't normally read me, Lucie. And I want to know why you can." The Master stroked her cheek again. "There must be something there, something in your brain...what are you? The Doctor must feel it too; that might be a reason for his attraction to you..." he trailed off as if talking to himself. Lucie shivered under the finger still stroking her cheek, her thoughts spinning.

Abruptly, the Master drew back. "So I hope you don't mind, Lucie Pagliari, but..._vorrei dare un'occhiata dentro la tua testa_."

_'I would like to take a look inside your head.' _What did he mean by that?

The meaning became very clear when the Master placed a helmet on her head that forced three needles into her forehead. Lucie yelped in pain as the Master pressed a button and then turned and left, leaving Lucie thrashing and screaming behind him.

* * *

Rose stirred gently from her unconscious state. She felt a soft sheet and a comfortable mattress beneath her, and for a minute she thought that perhaps they had all escaped to the TARDIS, and she sighed happily. Then she realised that if this was her bed, it smelt and felt very wrong indeed; she never had a silk duvet cover. In fact, she had never had a bed this big.

An odd, sinking feeling washed over her as she opened her eyes and took in the room that was not her bedroom. She was laying in a four-poster bed, adorned with lavish pink and gold drapes. The walls were a gentle, complementary pink, with a border of gold around the extraordinarily high ceiling. Along one wall was a mirror bordered with gently glowing spotlights, and along the opposite side was a huge wardrobe.

Rose let out a low whistle and wondered where the Doctor and Lucie were. She assumed that they were nearby, waking up in equal luxury. It seemed odd, since the Master, as he had called himself, had not come across as a particularly hospitable character, considering he had tortured the Doctor right before their eyes, but maybe this was his way of making up for it?

She had no idea who the Master was. The Doctor seemed to know him, seemed to be almost...scared of him. It was clear that they had had some past together, but she had no idea what it was; the Doctor had mentioned a previous event in passing, when she had rejoined him in the TARDIS, apparently his previous companion, Martha, had met him. But when Rose had pressed him for more details, the Doctor had refused to share any more details, instead he just got a haunted look in his eyes and turned away.

And now, here they all were, separately being held on this planet, trapped with a man who haunted the Doctor so much. What did that mean? She looked around the luxurious room once more. Maybe the Master wasn't so bad, if he provided such luxury accommodation?

As she was reflecting on this, there was a knock on the door.

"Err, come in...?" Rose called out hesitantly. A small person, maybe only three feet tall, poked their head around the door.

"Miss Rose?" he said in a high-pitched voice. "The Master would like to see you now, if you would please come with me?" he beckoned to her.

Hoping that she would be reunited with the Doctor and Lucie, and thinking that perhaps she would find out more about what was going on, she followed the little man out of the bedroom.

* * *

_Sorry this is so late; this chapter stubbornly refused to be written! But I think it is my favourite chapter overall..._

_Please vote on my poll (profile page just a click away); I need a new title for this story! It will be closing on **FRIDAY 1ST APRIL, and the title with the most votes will become the new title!**_

_Also, if you want something to read, check out 'The Gallifrey Choronicles: A New War' By GallifreanGirl (I have beta-ed a lot of the chapters, trust me, it's worth reading!)_

_xxx_


	12. Memories Part 1

__

**A/N: Thank you all for voting on my poll; there is still time to vote if you haven't - it closes on 1st April 2011!**

**Enjoy!**

**Special thanks to SpaztheMagicBeanstalk who sent a lovely PM with their review! I appreciate it muchly!**

Lucie continued to scream as the door clicked shut. The needles dug into her forehead; this was the main source of the pain, but there was something else...like a digging feeling, rippling through her head from inside out. For a second she thought back to the Master's words: ''I'd like to take a look inside your head...'' Could this be what she was feeling now? What was he looking for?

And as suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped. Lucie took a deep breath. She appeared to be alive. Was it over?

But as soon as she had that thought, she heard the Master's voice, as clear as day, echoing in her mind.

''Oh no, my dear Lucie, I haven't even got started...We'll be going on a little trip down Memory Lane, care to join me? Oh wait, you don't have a choice!'' He laughed shortly. ''Ah well...sit tight and let us watch a lovely film of your memories...''

She felt the Master's presence leave her mind, and she began to panic. What was going to happen? How could the Master read her mind?

''I see everything you see, hear everything you think...'' he whispered in response.

And with that, the memories began...

* * *

_"Lucie, if I could leave you to pack up once you're done, is that okay? It's just I've got to rush off..."_

_Lucie looked up at her supervisor and grinned. "Hot date, Han?"_

_Hanna rolled her eyes. "Ha, I wish! No, I've got to get back for Alfie...the babysitter called to say his cough's getting worse... I'm wondering if I should get it checked out?" her face had become a mask of worry, and Lucie felt another pang of sympathy for her supervisor. Hanna had only just turned thirty, and she was doing the well-known juggling act of balancing work with her eight-month old son. The father had waltzed off only a month ago, claiming that 'things just weren't working anymore', leaving Hanna alone with a baby on her hands and only a meagre job as an Assistant Collections Cataloguer at the Natural History Museum in London. Men could be such idiots, Lucie thought. Hanna didn't end up in this position by herself; he had to take some responsibility too. Lucie could only hope that the man she fell in love with wanted to stay with her for all time - she knew it was unlikely, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?_

_"Don't worry, Hanna, you get home to Alfie, the babe, I can take care of things here. I'm just gonna finish up this batch and then I'll lock up." she smiled._

_"Aw, Luce, you are a gem!" Hanna swooped down and landed a peck on Lucie's cheek. "Just make sure -"_

_"- I close up all the cabinets, shut down the computer and be out before eleven, or I'll be locked in." Lucie finished with a grin. "Yeah, I got it."_

_"See? A gem!" Hanna declared, before rushing out of the little office. "See you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder._

_"See you! Give Alfie my love!"_

_"Will do!"_

_

* * *

_

_Three quarters of an hour later, Lucie was still documenting and cataloging. She knew the task in theory should only have taken another twenty minutes or so after Hanna had left, but the truth was, Lucie enjoyed working too much. She loved the fascination of reading the articles of the new artifacts which had arrived, she loved pondering which exhibit they would be best suited for, and she loved the satisfaction of introducing the new additions to the collections._

_And really, she had nothing to go home to; just another night watching catch-up TV with a microwave meal on her lap. There was no man waiting for her when she got home, no one to ask ''how was your, day, love?''_

_So really, Lucie didn't mind working late._

_As it happened, she couldn't prolong her task for much longer._

_She sighed as she packed away her papers while she waited for the computer to shut down. She glanced at the clock. Twenty past ten; she'd be home in time to catch the end of the 'Friends' re-runs on E4. Or maybe there would be something god on the History Channel..._

_The computer finally shut down ad the room became quiet as it stopped humming. Lucie switched off the monitor and, picking up her bag, continued to the door. As she flicked the light switch she looked back into the now dark room._

_"Until tomorrow then," she murmured quietly to the room that she had grown to love._

_The door clicked shut behind her and she turned to key in the lock. She looked up and down the quiet corridor, and began to slowly make her way towards the exit._

_As she walked past the supply cupboard, she stopped and looked at it. In the empty corridor, she could hear a quiet, lyrical humming from behind the door. Her curiosity, combined with her lack of desire to go home, got the better of her and she placed her hand on the handle, praying that the caretaker hadn't come and locked it just yet._

_Her prayer was answered. The door clicked open._

_She stepped back, allowing the door to swing towards her._

_There, impossibly crammed into the tiny space which was the supply cupboard, was a huge, blue, box._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: This chapter, and the next few, has been written especially for everyone who was wondering how Lucie and the Doctor met...we'll see them meeting for the first time in the next chapter!**

**Reviews are not necessary, but are much loved!**

**Until next time!**

xoxox


	13. Memories Part 2

A/N: Well, thanks for all your votes- as you can see the title has now changed- hope it didn't confuse you too much!

As always, read and review!

...

Her arm moved almost by itself to reach out and touch the big box, which appeared to be made of wood.

POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX, she read as her fingers glossed over the wood. But was it really wood? It felt warm underneath her fingers and it vibrated softly. At her touch, the humming - which was clearly coming from the box - grew louder and more...insistent?

She gently touched the handle where the double doors met. Curiously enough, it looked as though the lock took a simple Yale key. As she contemplated trying to pick the lock (with a hairpin - traditional methods always worked the best), the handle grew warm beneath her fingers and actually began to glow. As she drew her hand back in surprise, the door slowly swung open. Instinctively, she stepped inside...

...And her jaw dropped.

Inside it was a cavern, a huge golden cavern, which could not have possibly fit in the wooden box in the tiny store cupboard, yet here it was- with glowing spheres impressed in the walls, boughs of...well, it looked like stone, but surely not... and in the centre of it all was an almighty column, blue and green, gently pulsating with light as it was surrounded by buttons, knobs, levers...and something that looked rather like a hammer. It seemed to Lucie to resemble a futuristic circular games console, but at the same time, it felt like it could be old, so incredibly old...

After standing there for what seemed like an age, she turned to face the doors again, intending to leave; she wasn't sure what she had stumbled across but whatever it was, she could feel waves of energy radiating from it right through her, and it made her edgy. Besides, she'd been on her way home...

Reaching for the door handle, she hesitated. Part of her felt an irresistible pull towards the central column, and she felt so compelled to touch it, just once before she left the curious machine. She could not explain the sensation; only that she had a niggling thought at the back of her brain that was telling her to reach out and touch it...she took another step closer to the console. And another...and another.

Then she was standing before it. She could hear a low, distant hum, which appeared to be emanating from within the machine itself.

"What IS this...?" she whispered to herself, as she tentatively reached out a hand and rested it against the warm tarnished brown metal that formed the rim of the console.

The hum became almost unbearably loud for an instant, and seemed to be projected directly into Lucie's head. And then, as soon as it had started, it was gone.

Then Lucie heard the scream.

It sounded like a woman, and was coming from a corridor which branched off the huge room, previously unnoticed by Lucie. Just how big was this place anyway? She wondered as she moved to investigate where the noise had come from.

Just as she made her way to the corridor, she bumped straight into a person, who was looking over their shoulder as they jogged down the corridor. Not a woman like Lucie had heard, but a man, a fairly young-looking man, about mid-thirties, wearing a rather damp dark brown pinstripe suit. In fact, there was a very brown aura about him - he had very brown, very messy cropped hair, and very brown, very warm brown eyes, which were twinkling with laughter as water droplets dripped from his hair.

Curiously, he was holding a pink plastic water pistol in his hand, and he was smiling broadly. His grin died on his lips as surprise and confusion settled on his face. He stepped back and looked at her, head tilted to one side.

"Hello," was all he said, a curious lilt to his tone. "And who are you?"

Lucie's mouth had gone dry, but she knew she had to say something. Backing away she began to ramble, "Sorry, I was just walking past and I heard a noise and I checked it out and the door opened and I looked in and I swear I was leaving but I heard a scream and I thought someone was hurt and my God it's bigger on the inside and I promise I'm leaving now I don't know what this is or who you are but I guess I'll leave you alone now but what the hell are you doing in the museum?" She blurted out all in one breath. The man before her cocked an eyebrow at the beginning of her spiel, and by the end he was looking a little dazed.

He was saved having to say anything by a new interruption.

"Bloody hell, Doctor, I am gonna get you so wet, you're gonna think you're in a -"

The dripping wet blonde girl had entered the room, armed with her own plastic water pistol, a blue one this time. She stopped abruptly as she caught sight of Lucie, and turned to the man, whom she had called 'Doctor'.

"Erm...did I miss something?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really, I was just asking..." he turned to Lucie and waved a hand at her, as a prompt for her name.

"Lucie,"

"Yes, I was just asking Lucie what she was doing aboard the TARDIS, especially since I'd activated the cloaking device and the TARDIS should be invisible right now." the 'Doctor' continued. Lucie frowned. TARDIS? Cloaking device? What was he talking about? She began backing up, trying to locate the way out without taking her eyes off of the two people. The man reached out to her, a gentle, friendly gesture.

"Hey, hey hey, don't worry Lucie, we don't bite!" he said, in a tone which was clearly meant to be reassuring.

The girl next to him smiled. "He's not lying. Talk to us Lucie, we're just as interested in you as you are in us."

Lucie hesitated; as much as she wanted to find out more about the curious pair and their incredible surroundings, another part of her, perhaps the more logical part, told her to leave well alone, to just leave. They were clearly lunatics; they were having a water fight inside, for goodness sake! They made up words like TARDIS!

The man and girl watched her has she struggled with her inner turmoil, making no effort to interrupt her. Slowly but oh-so surely, her curiosity won. She lifted her chin and looked the man straight in the eye. "My name is Lucie. Who are you? Where are we? What the hell is a TARDIS? And what were you doing in the museum?"

The man's face, which had been tense and worried a moment before, relaxed into a wide grin. He reached forward and grabbed Lucie enthusiastically by the hand, making her jump.

"Pleased to meet you, Lucie!" he beamed. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose -" he pointed to the girl who was still soaking wet but gave a little wave nonetheless. "- And this-" he waved his arm around, "- is my TARDIS. Home. Spaceship. Time Machine Whatever. An-y-way..." he continued, but Lucie held up a shaky hand.

"Spaceship? Time Machine?" she croaked.

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair. "Ye-es..." he said hesitantly."Yes. I normally don't tell people that straight away." He peered at Lucie closely. "Sorry about that."

"Doctor," Rose interjected before he could speak again. "I'm thinking maybe we could dry off, sit down, have a cup of tea and then talk?" she suggested. "It's just, I'm still wet, you're spouting out too much stuff in one go, and Lucie here looks like she might pass out."

The Doctor rushed to support Lucie, who did indeed feel a little light-headed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's all a little overwhelming, isn't it?" he murmured to her as he led her gently to one of the pilot's chairs beside the console. "So what we're gonna do is what Rose suggested- she's going to dry off, I'm going to shut up, and then Rose will make the tea and then we'll talk, yeah?"

From behind her, Lucie heard Rose huff. "Why am I making the tea? Why can't you make the tea while I dry off?"

"Because you always complain that I do it wrong, and because you are Jackie Tyler's daughter, queen of the tea-making!" the Doctor replied with a wink, before looking back to Lucie. "So," he said, "any questions?"

"Just one," Lucie replied.

"Ask away!" the Doctor said with a grin, "Ask-a-mundo!" Then the grin died, to be replaced with a grimace. "Oh. I will NEVER say that again." he cleared his throat in an embarrassed manner. "Anyway, question?" he prompted.

Lucie took a deep breath. Then she asked:

"How come your water pistol is pink?"

The Doctor's initial flash of confusion broke into a wide grin. "Oooh, I like this girl already!" 


	14. Memories Part 3

_A/N: So so sorry for the lateness in this update! If you're interested in the reasons, read the AN at the bottom :)_

**IMPORTANT: Think I made a mistake earlier: this story is set after ''Journey's End'' (2008). It's non-canon after that. Donna has gone, and Rose stayed with Ten, and 10Duplicate...well, we'll see what happened to him later :)**

Lucie didn't think she'd ever found herself in a more bizarre situation. Well there was that time she'd bumped into Michael McIntyre in the music store when she was in Leeds that one time, which was pretty surreal, but this, this right here really took the biscuit. Quite literally it seemed - she sat in a chair beside the incredible pulsating console, mug of tea in one hand, and a shortbread biscuit in the other.

"Sorry about the shortbread; it's literally all we've got." Rose apologised. "I think a certain person makes sure the TARDIS only supplies one type of biscuit. There are times I would fancy a ginger snap, but oh no, a certain person has something against everything ginger-"

The Doctor looked a little offended. "Hey I do not have anything against ginger! I love ginger! I've just not been ginger yet..." he trailed off with a frown.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You need to get over the ginger thing already, Doctor. I told you, the brown suits you." She shot Lucie an exasperated glance. "He gets so upset about the fact that he's not ginger."

Lucie didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but nodded along anyway.

"Er, look, don't beat yourself up about it, the shortbread's fine..." she said hesitantly to the Doctor, unsure if, under the circumstances she was saying the right thing. She took a bite of the biscuit as if to prove her point. "Mmm!" she said emphatically, and Rose giggled.

"All that just went over your head, didn't it." It wasn't really a question with the matter-of-fact way she said it.

"Completely." Lucie admitted. "Was it that obvious?"

"Only a little," Rose grinned. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

The Doctor looked from one girl to the other and decided that he needed to intrude on this apparent girl-bonding thing. "So, Lucie," he began, "tell me; where are you from?"

"London." she replied. "Well, that's where I live now. I was born in Italy, but I came over here when I was about three years old, and I've lived here ever since."

Rose smiled. "London, eh? My old stomping ground. Whereabouts do you live then?"

"On the South Bank. Next door to the Globe Theatre...do you know it?"

"The Globe? Shakespeare's Globe?" the Doctor exclaimed. "Oh, I love the Globe!" His face dropped. "Well, when there aren't witches..."

"Like in Macbeth, you mean?" Lucie asked curiously, confused by his statement.

The Doctor looked her in the eye, dead serious now. "No, real witches. Well, I say witches, but the more technical term is Carrionites. They're not there now, of course, they were feeding off of Will's great, great mind, but -"

"-Will? William Shakespeare?" Lucie asked incredulously.

"Well, of course, what other great Will's have you heard of? I mean, Prince William's all right, but still, he's not Shakespeare -"

"-You met William Shakespeare?" Lucie interjected again.

"Didn't we just establish this?" the Doctor said, though not unkindly. "Yes, William Shakespeare. Now-"

"-But how?" Lucie persisted. "How did you- oh, of course." she said to herself, and the Doctor watched her with a friendly raised eyebrow and a small smile as the penny dropped. "Time Machine. Right."

"Yep!" the Doctor exclaimed, popping the 'p' loudly.

"Anyway..." Rose butted in, arching an eyebrow at the Doctor, as if to say 'shut up now'. The Doctor just looked at her blankly, and Rose rolled her eyes once again.

"Anyway, talking of home, I really should be going," Lucie said, looking around for somewhere to place her mug. "It's been a long day, with a very surreal ending, and I've got an early start in the morning..." she stopped suddenly as a thought came to her. "Wait, you never did say what you were doing in the museum."

The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "Well, umm...we don't really know ourselves yet, actually."

"How can you not know? You came here!"

"See, the thing is...we - well, I - picked up an interesting signal, coming from here, so I latched on to it with the TARDIS, and I was going to go outside and take a look at what it was, when madam here-" he jerked a thumb at Rose, who rolled her eyes. "-decided to molest me with a water pistol! And naturally, madness ensued, and I stuck the cloaking device on, so we wouldn't be noticed..."

"Which, you know, clearly didn't work..." Rose muttered, a grin flitting across her face at the Doctor's incompetence.

The Doctor glared at her. "Er, I'll have you know that the cloaking device is STILL active!"

"So you say..." Rose responded sardonically.

"It is!" The Doctor was clearly offended at the slight to his ability to operate the TARDIS.

Lucie had to ask: "What's the cloaking device supposed to do, exactly?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, now looking a little sheepish. "Um, well...ahem...it's supposed to make the TARDIS invisible and undetectable..."

Rose stifled a giggle. "Well, it definitely works!" she said, sarcastic dripping off the words.

"No, no no no! It works! It's- it's Lucie's fault!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Lucie looked a little alarmed. What did I do?" she said. "I was just walking past the cupboard, and I heard a noise, so i had a look, and there was the...tad-ris?" she said the unfamiliar word hesitantly, and the Doctor corrected her.

"TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space." he explained.

"Oh, okay. TARDIS. Right. Anyway, there it was."

"Really undetectable and invisible, Doctor..." Rose said under her breath, clearly still rather amused.

"Oi! That is enough criticism from you, Miss Tyler!" the Doctor said loudly, though with no real anger. He turned back to Lucie. "And then what happened?" he asked intently.

Lucie cast her mind back. "Well, I touched the lock and the TARDIS, like, hummed, and the door opened."

The Doctor and Rose shared a look, confusion evident on both their faces, and even a little bit of...was it worry?

"The door just opened? Just like that?" Rose asked. Lucie nodded her head, not entirely sure what the significance was.

The Doctor frowned and pulled out a shiny silver tool from his pocket and pressed a button. The blue tip glowed and a high-pitched buzzing emanated from it as he pointed it at Lucie, slowly casting it up and down her body. Rose looked on in silence, and Lucie looked at the Doctor, suddenly very nervous.

"What- what're you doing?" she asked tentatively.

The Doctor put his instrument away in hos pocket and looked curiously at her. "Human." he said. "You're just a human."

Lucie looked perplexed. "Yes," she said slowly. "I'm a human. Aren't we all?"

Rose shook her head. "He's not," she said, indicating the Doctor.

Lucie felt her jaw drop slightly. "Oh."

Rose smiled sympathetically. "Didn't the time machine give it away?"

"Hm. I guess it did, I just didn't really think about it." she replied. "Wait," she said suddenly, looking at Rose. "So are you a human?"

"Yes, I was born and bred on Earth, and would still be there if he hadn't come along and blown up my job...quite literally. I'm just as human as you are."

Here the Doctor broke from his own thoughts and interrupted. "Which brings me back to you, Lucie. Human. Nothing different or special about you..."

"Gee, thanks..." Lucie murmured as Rose glared at the Doctor, who didn't even notice.

"-so how did you get into the TARDIS without a key?" he continued, exasperated that he didn't know the answer to his own question.

"I don't know!" Lucie insisted. "I just touched it and it opened! I didn't know that wasn't supposed to happen!" She stood up and placed her mug on the seat she had just vacated. "Look, I've clearly upset you by coming in here-"

"No, we're just confused Lucie! It's just-" Rose cut in.

"-So I'm just gonna leave now, and go home, and forget about all of this, and sleep. So if you'll excuse me-" She headed towards the door, and pulled on the handle. It didn't budge. She tried pushing, and nothing happened. She turned to the Doctor and Rose. "Do I need a key to get out, as well?" she asked, wearily. She just wanted to leave now. Originally she'd been excited to see the time machine and the two extraordinary travellers, but now she got the feeling that she wasn't wanted.

Both Rose and the Doctor shook their heads.

"You should be able to just pull it..." Rose said in confusion before turning to the Doctor. "Is it the cloaking device?"

"No..." the Doctor said slowly. "It doesn't stop people from leaving..." he walked slowly round the console, contemplating what could be the problem, tapping his lips with two fingers. He pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever. "Try it now?" he called to Lucie.

She tugged at the door again, to no avail.

Rose went to join the Doctor at the console, while Lucie slumped against the door with a sigh. She could see the quiet conversation going on between the two friends, but she couldn't catch what they were saying, nor did she particularly care now. She just wanted her bed.

Suddenly the Doctor shouted, "Aha! Got it!" And started pressing buttons and pumping levers like there was no tomorrow. Then just before he flipped the huge handle, he stopped. "What year was it outside, Lucie?"

She frowned at him from the bottom of the ramp. "Why?"

"I'm going to give you a lift home!" he beamed. "Maybe it's the museum that's inhibiting the door movement."

She looked at him wearily, but at the same time was a little amused by his energy, and perked up at the prospect of getting home. "It's 2009. July," she said, picking herself up and approaching the console warily, remembering what happened the last time she touched it.

"2009...then it's been a year since..." Rose said quietly, trailing off her sentence before it ended. The Doctor nodded solemnly, in response to her unfinished statement. Lucie just looked on in mild confusion, before the TARDIS' humming became a grating hiss of huge proportions. The centre column pumped up and down and there was a jerk which would have thrown Lucie to the floor if she hadn't grabbed a hold of a handle at the base of the console right at the last minute.

Rose caught Lucie's startled expression. "It's okay, Lucie, it's always like thi-is! Whoa!" she yelped as the TARDIS jerked again.

Suddenly the machine let out an almighty screech and they were all thrown the other way. The Doctor was staggering around the controls, desperately flicking switches. "What are you doing?" he yelled at the console. "I WANT to go that way! Why do you keep CHANGING it?"

"Doctor? Why is it making that noise?" Rose shouted over the cacophany.

"Okay, brace yourselves, I have to make an emergency landing!" The Doctor roared, and it was a miracle anyone heard him over the ear-splitting racket.

There was a final almighty jolt, the TARDIS wheezed, and then there was silence, as all three of them fell to the ground. No one said anything for a minute or so, the only sound was heavy breathing.

Then the Doctor got to his feet and grabbed the scanner, apparently reading the swirly shapes which were appearing. "Oh, you old girl, what was all that about, mm?" he crooned to the console.

Lucie looked at Rose, bewildered. The blonde girl shot the brunette a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, he gets like that...he's very overprotective of the TARDIS!"

"Yes, yes I am!" The Doctor called out from beside the console. "And this old girl just had a very traumatic experience...I don't know what happened but for some reason I wasn't allowed to land on Earth in 2009...or any time after for that matter...and every time I tried, it was like we were wrenched away or something..." the Doctor frowned. "That's never happened before."

Lucie had understood enough to deduce one thing. "I can't go home, can I?" she asked dejectedly.

The Doctor came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I really am, but no, you can't, not yet, anyway..." Suddenly he removed his hand as if he'd been shocked, and frowned at Lucie as if she'd had something to do with it. Then he decided that it didn't matter, and walked away to the console again. "Anyway, since we have landed, why don't we see where-and when- we are?"

_A/N: So here's another installment of the memories, which the Master is currently extracting from her brain, hope you liked._

_Sorry it's been so long: Writer's Block, other stories, illness, revision, A Levels...it's all been going down recently. And I think updates on this will be very slow, until September at the very least, when I'll finally have a bit more time to get on a computer. A lot of this story is written down, but not on a computer, so typing time must also be considered. Thanks for all your reviews and patience :)_

_Until next time!_

_xx_


	15. Klaxon

A/N: Nope, I haven't died...y'see, I was travelling with the Doctor, and he said he would bring me back to May where I started, but he got it wrong and...here I am.

Yeah, no, not really. I just got sidetracked. Other fanfics, mostly Harry Potter have got in the way, also, I had exams, and now I'm at university, doing a Law degree, so I think I have a bit of an excuse there? No? Well, I'm sorry then, I have no excuse... please read and don't hate me too much!

Oh, and if you haven't already, read this story by MayFairy: Lucky Three Times Over (links on my profile page). It's a crossover of my story and hers, so if you want a bit more of Lucie, try it :) AND REVIEW.

.oOo. .oOo.

Lucie gasped and thrashed in the seat as the Master walked in once more. He hit a button and removed the pins from her head, and Lucie gave a muffled squeal with the pain. Her arms remained bound, and the cap still encased her head. Clearly the Master didn't want to take any chances.

"Well, now that was interesting, wasn't it, mia cara?" the Master said to Lucie, running a towel over her brow to wipe away the sheen of sweat. She tried not to recoil at his touch.

"What did you do?" she asked breathlessly. She could not quite understand exactly what had just occurred. All she knew was that it had been painful, and somehow she had relived the events running up to her meeting the Doctor and Rose.

"I did what I said, of course," the Master said, eyeing her innocently. "I had a little look inside your head." He frowned, and began to speak, but almost as if to himself. "Human...pure human...yet, trapped on board...interesting..."

Lucie's nausea was beginning to ease off, only to be replaced by something a little more dangerous; anger. How dare the Master intrude on her thoughts, her memories, her life?

The Master was still mumbling to himself. "So what hold do you have over the Doctor...? You're not exactly special..."

Fury raged inside of Lucie, beginning with a burning in her midsection, which swelled and bubbled inside her.

"How dare you?" she hissed. "Why does it even matter to you? Clearly the Doctor thinks there's something special, so you can piss off. Yeah, I'm human, so what? You think I'm not good enough for him, or something?"

The Master suddenly stopped his pacing and stood directly beside Lucie's head. He looked down at her intently. "Oh..." he said, quietly. "This is quite a twist, isn't it, mia cara?"

"Stop calling me that," Lucie growled. "I'm not your dear."

The Master ignored her, and tapped his lips with the tips of his fingers, so reminiscent of the Doctor, that Lucie felt a small squeeze in her intestines. She felt infuriated: this man had separated her from her friend, and her lover...and now he stood there, acting so superior, speaking like a patronising mad man...and now he said something as ambiguous as "oh," and expected her to just accept it.

He gave a slow smile. "You've fallen for him, haven't you, Miss Pagliari?" the Master said quietly. "Oh, I could have told you that was a bad idea. Because, my dear...he could never love you."

"You know nothing!" she spat at him, more frustrated than ever that she couldn't move to be in a more confrontational position. She hated lying down before him; it made her feel insignificant.

He laughed, and curiously it looked as though he was really tickled by her statement. "Ah, Lucie, Lucie, Lucie...alas, it's you who knows nothing...The Doctor can't fall in love with a silly little human like you, no matter what he says..."

Lucie clenched her fists, feeling her nails digging into her palms painfully. "I might be human, and I might be a rather small human," she began through gritted teeth, "but I am not - silly!"

Suddenly there was a high-pitched whirring sound and thin wisps of smoke began to emerge from the machinery. The Master stepped back, uncertain, and when the sparks began to eject from Lucie's headgear, he jumped back further, a deep frown on his face.

"What have you done?" he shouted at her. Honestly, Lucie had no idea what she had had done, but she knew she would take full advantage of the situation. Pulling on the fastening around her wrists, she found that they no longer bound her, so she reached up and ripped the helmet from her head and leapt out of the bed. After a few moments of dizziness, from spending so long lying down, she ran at the Master and pushed him out of the way as she made for the door. She turned and ran down the corridor as fast as her slightly shaky legs could carry her, trying to ignore the wailing of the alarm klaxon echoing down the tunnels.

.oOo. .oOo.

Rose was following the tiny man through a maze of tunnels, to the point where she had become completely disorientated, and had no idea how to get back to her comfortable room.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

The little man didn't reply, only continued to walk rapidly down the corridors, turning left, then left again, then a right...Rose lost track once more.

"Oi!" she said, disgruntled. "Where are we going? And where's the Doctor? Are we gonna meet him?"

"This way, Miss Rose," was all the little man said. Rose sighed exasperatedly, then she stopped dead in the corridor.

"Answer my questions, then I might wanna follow you," she said firmly. "Where is the Doctor? And where are we going?"

The man turned to face her, and put his hands on his hips. Rose mirrored him defiantly. He looked about to open his mouth, no doubt to say something as vague as usual, but was cut off by the blaring of alarm sirens. Rose clapped her hands over her ears, while the little man looked around wildly, as if looking for the cause of the disruption.

Suddenly Lucie appeared in the corridor in front of Rose, running as quickly as possible towards her. "We have to find the Doctor!" She yelled as loud as she could, despite breathing heavily. She grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her along with her, and out of pure instinct more than anything else, Rose began running alongside her.

.oOo. .oOo.

The Doctor had just finished concocting yet another useless plan which involved using a piece of steel string as a form of saw to cut through his chains, when suddenly a klaxon began blaring just behind his head.

"Ouch..." he groaned as the alarm screamed through his head. He closed his eyes shut tightly, gripping his head, before he realised something.

He could touch his head.

He was free from his chains.

And the door to his cell was sliding open.

"Well, that's convenient," he muttered to himself as he stepped free of his bonds and away from the screaming alarm. "I was running out of escape plans."

.oOo. .oOo.

A/N: I know it's short, and I am SO SO SO sorry, but i never realised how hard it would be stepping back into a story after nearly 6 months. I will admit, this isn't my priority right now, in fact fanfiction is having to take a bit of a back seat in general but I will try to not leave it as long again. Sorry *throws cookies and begs for forgiveness and reviews*

xx


	16. Escape

**Chapter 16**

**I am a terrible person I know, I know…I suck so badly at updating, I can only apologise. I'm sure you don't want my excuses, so I won't bother bore you with them all. Let's just say I will do my best to give you more chapters more frequently. **

**Okay, so Chapter 16 is now a thing!**

* * *

_Last time…_

_The Doctor had just finished concocting yet another useless plan which involved using a piece of steel string as a form of saw to cut through his chains, when suddenly a klaxon began blaring just behind his head. _

"_Ouch..." he groaned as the alarm screamed through his head. He closed his eyes shut tightly, gripping his head, before he realised something._

_He could touch his head._

_He was free from his chains._

_And the door to his cell was sliding open._

"_Well, that's convenient," he muttered to himself as he stepped free of his bonds and away from the screaming alarm. "I was running out of escape plans."_

* * *

Rose and Lucie pounded down the corridors, swinging their heads maniacally to first check that no one was pursuing them, and secondly to attempt to get some idea of where they were. It was pointless' they were utterly lost, with no clue as to where they were, where the Doctor was and where in the compound the TARDIS was located.

They stopped abruptly in a cross-shaped junction.

"It's no use!" Rose yelled over the klaxon which was still wailing. Lucie scrunched up her face, pressing a palm to her head. She could feel a pounding in her head, which was definitely not helped by the sirens and the needles she had ripped from her head not ten minutes before. She tried to think. They needed a plan; they couldn't keep running aimlessly down the endless warren of corridors.

"We need to find the TARDIS," she shouted.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious!" the sarcasm was evident even with the cacophony.

"No, seriously…wait… " Lucie rubbed her head furiously. She could feel something pricking the edge of her consciousness and she had a feeling she knew what it was. Something the Master had said was weighing on her mind.

"Lucie, we can't wait!" Rose pressed urgently. "We need to find the Doctor, he'll find the TARDIS and we can leave! They're gonna find us…wait, where are you going?"

Lucie had started making her way down the corridor to their left, hand pressed to the side of her head. Rose shouted her name and then set off at a jog to catch up with her, shaking her head. _What is she doing?_

They went on like this for a while, taking turn after turn after turn, Lucie never once stopping at the junctions to contemplate which direction to take. Rose called after her again and again, but either Lucie couldn't hear over the sirens, or she was choosing to ignore them.

The pace got faster and faster…faster until Lucie was moving at a flat-out run and Rose was panting as she tried to keep up.

They rounded a corner and Lucie abruptly stopped, causing Rose to run straight into the back of her. The two shunted forwards and hit a wall. Not until Rose stepped back did Rose realise what they had hit.

"Oh…my…God," she breathed, looking up at the magnificently familiar doors of the TARDIS.

Lucie put her hand out and stroked the machine. "Thanks, old girl," she murmured to it. The TARDIS vibrated softly under her fingertips and the door swung open to receive her.

"But…_how_…?" was all Rose could manage as she and Lucie stepped inside the ship.

"The TARDIS reached out to me," Lucie explained with a shrug. "I don't know much more, I just felt her in my consciousness. So I followed the link."

Rose just looked at her in awe. She didn't know the TARDIS could link to the mind like that, unless you were the Doctor. But she couldn't argue, considering how Lucie had just led them to the safety of the TARDIS. And at least she could hear herself think now, thanks to the ship's soundproofing.

"So what do we do now?" she asked Lucie, who had moved over to the console. The auburn haired girl looked up.

"We find the Doctor and get the hell out of here, of course."

_Surely that's easier said than done, _Rose mused as she perched on a stool, watching Lucie fiddling with the controls. She decided to sit back and see what the girl with the mysterious connection with the TARDIS would come up with as a rescue plan.

* * *

The Doctor too, found himself jogging down the mass of stone passageways, directionless. He didn't know what had happened, but he wasn't going to complain about being freed from the cell. Now all he had to do was find the girls, then the TARDIS…and then the Master. He needed an opportunity to talk to him.

Stopping in the middle of a corridor, he reached a hand in his pocket to pull out his sonic, only to remember that it had been confiscated.

"Damn," he muttered, hitting the stone wall in frustration before pulling it back sharply. "Ouch," he said, rubbing his hand. "That's not nearly as satisfying as people make it look."

He looked around, trying to get some bearings. His search for some form of signposting proved fruitless.

"You need to get a map down here," he said to no one in particular. "A nice, big one, with a lovely "You Are Here" arrow on it. And a little shop wouldn't go amiss, either." He sighed. "Guess I'll have to do this the good old-fashioned way, then, won't I?"

With that, he closed his eyes briefly and then turned around, striding down the passageway with renewed purpose.

* * *

"Can you hold this lever down? Just til I get a grip of this…"

Rose jumped down from her seat and walked round the console to where Lucie was holding a lever with a frown. She had spent the last five minutes or so just running her fingers over the controls of the TARDIS and muttering occasionally. Rose had watched in a mixture of confusion and admiration. The TARDIS was clearly attempting to guide Lucie through flying her, but it wasn't easy. The link between the two of them was shaky, and learning to operate a space-time machine wasn't something a person did in a few minutes. Heck, even after 900-odd years the Doctor himself hadn't fully perfected it.

"She's going to try and do it herself, lock onto his co-ordinates," Lucie explained abruptly. "All we have to do is stablise her while we're in the vortex. That's these two levers," she pointed the one Rose was holding and one on the other side of the console.

"Okay…" Rose said hesitantly.

Lucie took a couple of deep breaths. "Okay," she said. "Let's do this."

Working her way round to the other stabiliser, she gripped it as hard as she could. "Ready when you are, beautiful," she murmured to the machine.

The gears started up and the central column began to pulsate. The girls locked glances, each mirroring the same worried hope as the TARDIS began to dematerialise.

* * *

The Doctor was starting to get tired of the wailing sirens. Surely they could be turned off now, regardless of whether the security breach had been restored? He was pretty certain everyone in the complex had been well and truly alerted.

Still he walked, feeling the TARDIS getting closer to him with every corner he turned.

And then suddenly, he could no longer feel the connection.

There was nothing.

"What?" he said, stopping dead in a small circular cavity with six different passageways leading off of it. That had never happened to him before. He could always feel a connection to his TARDIS, however small.

Where had she gone? The Doctor only had one possible explanation; the Master had done something to his ship.

He paced up the corridor, trying to figure out what he was going to do now.

"Guess I'll just have to find him…" he murmured.

"Find whom, exactly?" came a voice from behind him. The Doctor spun round; he hadn't registered the sirens stopping, but it was the only way the Master, who stood before him now, could have heard what he'd said.

"You, actually…ooh, that's convenient, I do love a bit of convenience…" he replied breezily. "You have some of my property, so I'd like that back now, if you don't mind."

"If you're referring to the two charming young girls who make up your entourage, I'm afraid they are no longer in my possession," the Master said silkily.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," the Doctor said quietly. "And the girls are not my property."

"Really? Could have fooled me… you've left quite a mark on that delightful Italian."

There was something about the Master's tone that caused the Doctor's blood to run icily cold. "What did you do to her?" he growled. "If you hurt her, I _will_ kill you."

The Master let out a short sharp laugh. "You couldn't kill me before. You wouldn't let me die before…you probably couldn't do it again," he said with a shrug. "But, by all means, do try."

The Doctor took a sudden step forward, closer to the Master, who took a calm step backwards, holding up a hand. "Calm there, brother, Miss Pagliari is most safe… or at least I hope she is. She is the cause of all this chaos, you know." He gestured vaguely.

The Doctor frowned slightly. Had Lucie caused the security breach? _Good girl, _he mused. At least she – and hopefully Rose with her – had managed to get free. He only hoped neither of them had been hurt.

"I'm not your brother," he said softly but with as much authority as he could muster.

"You've changed your tune, then," the Master retorted. "So, are you going to kill me this time?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "You didn't manage it last time, left all the dirty work to my dear wife."

"If I have to, I will."

"That would make things a bit difficult for your little prophecy, wouldn't it, now?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "What prophecy?"

"Come now, Doctor, don't act all ignorant. Your precious little prophecy about you and that girlfriend of yours. What was that about destroying a foe three times before killing it for good? Now, who could that refer to, I wonder…?"

The Doctor's mind was racing as he thought over the Ood's prophecy.

_The foe will follow you, and will be destroyed thrice by you before dying for good._

Could this be it? Could the Master be the enemy that the prophecy referred to? If so, he only had to destroy him three times before that part of the prophecy would be complete. And with Donna gone, and the pursuit of Lucie…all that was left was the destruction of the foe. And if that was the Master... then the prophecy would be complete on his third destruction of this reborn Master: Yana and then Saxon.

So would killing him _now_ count as the third destruction? Or did he have one more?

What if the Master wasn't the foe at all?

"I can't kill you," the Doctor was frowning darkly as he said it. "I can't risk it."

The Master's face broke open into a huge beam. "Ah, how the mighty have fallen!" he proclaimed dramatically. "Poor Doctor, tied up by _Fate_." He raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you going to do?"

The Doctor stared ahead, blankly. The truth was, he had no idea. He needed the Master where he could keep an eye on him, but how in the universe was he going to manage that?

* * *

The TARDIS jolted and groaned as the girls desperately tried to keep a hold of the stabilisers, for all the good they seemed to be doing.

"We're gonna die…!" Rose moaned, and Lucie rolled her eyes. She had every faith in the TARDIS being able to find the Doctor, she just wished the ride was a little less…turbulent.

There was suddenly a huge jolt, larger than normal, and it felt as if the ship had made contact with something quite tangibly hard. Then, there was nothing as the ship went quiet.

Lucie and Rose lay on the floor, panting, and yet, when they caught each other's eyes, they couldn't help but grin. No matter how many bruises you got being thrown around in the TARDIS, you couldn't help but enjoy it.

"Did we manage it?" Lucie wondered aloud, getting to her feet and working out the twinges in her back. She held out a hand to Rose and helped her up.

"Let's find out," Rose muttered as she dusted herself down. The two of them made their way to the doors.

* * *

"So, what are you going to do?"

The Master was stood, cockily awaiting an answer; an answer that the Doctor didn't have. His grin grew wider and wider.

"We'll just have to keep you here, then…" The Master pulled out a communications device from his pocket and began keying in numbers.

Abruptly there was a breeze that whipped around their feet; an _impossible_ breeze this far underground.

"What—" the Master began turning on the spot, but this time it was the Doctor's turn to smile. Behind his adversary was the unmistakable shape of his TARDIS materialising.

"But how—" the Master stood, slack-jawed, before turning to the Doctor and frowning. "What did you do?" he demanded, to which the Doctor simply shrugged in response.

The TARDIS finished her materialisation and stood, silent and glorious. The Doctor took two steps towards it before the Master flung out an arm and stopped him. "We're not finished here yet," he growled.

The door opened slowly, and Lucie and Rose stepped out tentatively, their hands loosely linked. When they'd taken in the scene before them, they looked on in surprise and then concern.

"Well…" Lucie began. "Looks like we managed it, and not a moment too soon," she said, throwing a dirty glance towards the Master before focusing on the Doctor. She held his gaze for a few seconds, silently letting him know she was okay, as well as checking on his well being.

"What's going on?" Rose demanded.

"Rose! So good to finally speak to you," the Master turned fully to the girls and spread his arms wide. "It's a shame you disappeared before we got fully acquainted."

"Take a step closer and you'll regret it," Rose warned.

The Master turned to Lucie now. "_Mia cara, _once again we meet," he said, beaming. The beam switched off abruptly. "You broke a lot of expensive equipment, you know," he said, adopting the tone of a teacher scolding a naughty child. Lucie shrugged.

"It was lame equipment anyway, if a _mere human_ could break it," she said, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. "Now, we came for the Doctor, so if you don't mind…" she gestured a "move aside" signal with her hand.

"Oooh, she's feisty, isn't she, Doctor?" the Master said, rubbing his hands with glee. "I can see why you like her."

The Doctor stiffened. Lucie looked over to him in reassurance. She could handle the Master, but the Doctor was having nothing of it.

"Shut up," he hissed. "Just shut up." He grasped the other Time Lord's shoulders and began to push him towards the TARDIS. The Master looked confused, then panicked and finally determined in the space of a few seconds,

"What do you think you're doing?" he spluttered. "I'm not going in _there_, unless it's completely without you."

The Doctor just carried on pushing, past the girls and into the TARDIS.

"Come on," he hissed to them both. Exchanging a look of bewilderment, Lucie and Rose stepped inside, to find the Doctor had already disappeared down a hallway, presumably with the Master.

"What's he doing?" Rose voiced Lucie's thoughts. The dark-haired girl shrugged in response.

Five minutes later and the Doctor was back, hands in pockets and exuding nonchalance. He approached the girls and smiled broadly.

"Well," he said. "I guess I owe you two a thank you!" He stepped forwards, arms open to pull them into a hug. Rose accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face into his chest, but Lucie stepped back and didn't say a word.

The Doctor caught her eye from over Rose's head and frowned, hurt flashing in his brown orbs. Lucie merely raised an eyebrow and continued to stare coldly at him.

Untangling himself from Rose, he stood back, watching the girl who was glaring at him.

"Luce?" he said questioningly. "No hug?" he spread his arms again, experimentally.

Lucie raised both eyebrows incredulously. "Hug?" she sputtered out. "_Hug?_ You are so…so…_unbearable_ sometimes!"

And with that, she stormed off.

The Doctor turned to Rose. "What did I say?" he asked, bewildered. Rose merely shook her head.

"I think she'd appreciate some explanation as to why you brought the crazy dude on board…" the blonde began slowly. "And then I think she'd like a bit more than a _hug_, if you get my drift."

"Oh. _Oh…_" the Doctor said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh, so um…I'd better do that then."

"Ya think?" Rose raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"Okay, okay!" he exclaimed. "I'll go find her. _Women…_"

"Oi!"

"_Fine! _Okay, Miss Tyler, you can stop with the glare already. You look more and more like your mother every day…"

"Watch it, Doctor…"

The Doctor sighed and began down the corridor that Lucie had taken.

"Doctor?"

He turned back to face Rose. "Mm-hm?"

"What _did _you do, you know, with the Master and that?"

The Doctor's expression was grim. "Just put him into storage until I decide what to do with him. He won't bother us, don't worry."

And with that, he disappeared down the corridor, leaving Rose in the console room with a worried frown on her face.

* * *

Somewhere deep inside the TARDIS, on a white floor, surrounded by white walls and a white ceiling, the Master slumped, looking for where a door might be. There wasn't one. But doors had never stopped the Master before, and he wouldn't let them thwart him this time.

"Oh, Doctor, did you forget I'm a Time Lord too?" he murmured. "I'll find a way out of here, and when I do, I'll destroy you for good. You and that delightful lover of yours."

* * *

**So I hope you liked it! I'm prioritising my writing commitments and I need to put a couple of them to bed before I can start new ones that I've got plot bunnies for. And I have a vague idea as to how this can finish, so I'm going to start with it. Fingers crossed for more updates! This update is dedicated to Michael, who reminded me that I needed to continue this. You legend, Michael.**

**Review please? I hunger for your comments/criticism. Love you all, and thanks for sticking with me! Xx**


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